Welcome To Bullworth
by Angelic Pink
Summary: Chantelle Matthews is a new student at Bullworth Academy, but finds it to be full of insane Nerds, muscle-bound Jocks, snobbish Preps, playground Bullies and Grease-Monkeys. How will she survive? Updated 15/06/13 - WARNING: Foul Language;Sex;Tension
1. Welcome To Bullworth Academy

**English**

Chapter One – Introduction

A silver Aston Martin pulled up outside the gates of Bullworth Academy, its engine came to a stop and then three people stepped out of the car. One was a girl no older than fifteen, the other two her parents. Her father opened the boot of the car and hauled her luggage out, whilst her mother put her hand on her daughter's shoulder and lead her towards the gate where a Prefect seemed to be waiting for them.

"Ahh. You must be Mrs. Matthews." The Prefect said, pushing his glasses back. "And you must be Chantelle. Yes, Principal Crabblesnitch is waiting for you in his office. This way please." He said with a rather pompous air, leading the way into the school grounds.

Her father followed behind them carrying her luggage, which was quickly handled by another Prefect who took it to the Girls Dormitory.

The first Prefect, Edward Seymour, knocked on the door that lead into the Principal's office, and a firm, crisp voice called out, "Come in."

Seymour obeyed and opened the door for the Matthews. When the three of them were in the office, he shut the door with a snap.

"Ah. Mr and Mrs. Matthews. Please sit down." He said with a false smile, gesturing to three cushioned wooden chairs. "I must say, you're a little late." They took their seats.

"Yes, we apologize, the traffic was truly awful." Mr. Matthews explained then watched Crabblesnitch expectantly.

"No worries. Anyway, moving on…As you know, Bullworth Academy is a well-respected academic institution with a fine tradition of stern discipline. We are renowned the world over for the quality our alumni and the strong moral fibre we instil in them…" Principal Crabblesnitch began.

Chantelle lost interest as soon as the first few words were spoken and instead found it better to just stare around the room. There were several bookshelves lined with heavy black volumes that seemed to be dusty and never before taken off the shelves. A large globe, covered with a golden frame was positioned next to a marble fireplace and above that hung some sort of portrait framed in brass. Several ornaments stood on the fireplace, a stone statue, a clock, several trophies and a glass vase with some fake flowers in. She looked back at the Principal.

"I cannot allow the torrent of popular opinion sway my faith in tradition. For without our heritage we are but orphans in the sewers of this noble country. We are very much looking forward to having young Chantelle in our school." He finished serenely, smiling that false smile.

"And I'm positive Chantelle is glad to be here." Chantelle's mother added. They both stood up. "Well dear, we have to leave now. If you want to come back for the holidays just give us a ring." She smiled and kissed her daughter on her cheek. They left the office, leaving Chantelle with Crabblesnitch.

"Now, Chantelle, you will find your uniforms and your time-table in your dorm room. Lessons start tomorrow 9 at and will finish at 3:30. I'll expect to see your attendance at 100 for every lesson. Truancy is not permitted in the grounds of Bullworth. Any mischievous behaviour will also be chased up by Prefects and the appropriate punishments will be given. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir." Chantelle said mechanically, not really paying much attention.

"Ok, good. You may leave." He replied, picking some papers and straightening them up.

Chantelle left the office and walked out into the reception area, heading straight down the steps and outside. She continued walking forward until she reached two paths just before the gates. She turned left and up some more stairs and into the girls dorm.

_Oh great. I don't even know where the hell my dorm is._

She continued walking and turned left again, peering into rooms to look for her light pink suitcases. It wasn't downstairs. Letting a sigh leave her lips she then climbed more stairs up to the second floor. Her room was the first door on the left. She walked inside and found her suitcases, one lying on the bed, the other leaning against it. She heaved the one off her bed and laid it down, unzipping it and finding a few framed photographs on the top. She picked them out, one at a time, placing them carefully on the desk she had.

"So you're the new girl." Someone said from behind her.

Chantelle stood up and turned round to see a tall red-head standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, the names Chantelle, you are?" She asked, sticking out her hand

"Christy. I guess where sharing rooms Chantelle." She replied with a small smile, shaking Chantelle's hand and then walking over to her own bed and sitting on it.

"Why did you choose Bullworth?" She asked suddenly, making Chantelle raise an eyebrow.

"The closest school to where I live." She replied, realizing that her school uniform was folded neatly at the end of her bed, which smelt strongly of lavender and onion.

"Ah. I see." Christy replied, watching her closely. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen…" Chantelle replied, picking up a dark green Bullworth vest and staring at it. "Why?"

"You're in my year." She said happily. "We've probably got the same lessons. I'm guessing you're gonna want a tour?"

"Yeah I guess I probably am." Chantelle replied grinning.

"Ok. Well I'll let you get changed, give me a shout when you're ready." Christy stood up and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

After putting on her uniform on, that consisted of a dark green Bullworth vest, a white shirt in which she had rolled the sleeves up to a three quarter length, a green and white chequered skirt and knee-length white socks. She stared at her outfit in the small mirror on the wall before shouting Christy, who strolled straight in a smiled. "You took awhile." She said, but quickly moved on. "Ok, so straight on to the tour, follow me."

The girls went back outside the Girls Dorm. "In front is the Boys Dormitory, if you get caught inside you'll get a detention." They continued walking and took a right turn so they were now facing the school. They turned right again and started walking round. First, they were at the car park where a group of students wearing already dirty white shirts were chatting. "I wouldn't tend to hang around here if I were you. Those guys are the school bullies. You see their white shirts? They never stay clean for more than an hour. Their leader is Russell; nearly all of the school are terrified of him, including the prefects and teachers." Christy explained, watching a blonde haired Bully walk straight up to a little girl, stealing her book and holding it above her head in a tormenting fashion. Chantelle watched in slight amusement, and then continued walking. They walked up some stairs and to the fountain where a statue of a bull was holding a football. There were now three pathways, one leading to the left, the other right and one straight ahead.

"Ok, to the right is where the Shop class is, it's the Greasers main hang-out. They spend most of their time fixing bikes and stuff. You can tell it's them by the slicked back hair and leather jackets. Johhny Vincent is the head of their faction." Christy explained, waving to one of the Greasers that had been leaning casually against the wall. He waved back, flashing a grin. "And I'm seeing one of them too." She added, blushing slightly.

Chantelle smiled and then looked to the left where people wearing blue chequered shirts were standing, talking in snobbish rich accents. The words 'Harrington House' were shining in the distance.

"Ah. The preps…Or rich kids…whichever you prefer." Christy rolled her eyes slightly. "They think they're above everyone else. Noticeable by their aquaberry uniforms, they tend to boast about it a lot. Derby is in charge, although I don't see him much."

Chantelle nodded, so far she'd seen the Bullies, Preps and Greasers.

"The Jocks…Guess where their hang-out is." Christy was now looking forward where the Gym, Swimming Pool and Sports Field was. "Freaks of Sport, some of them never go to academic lessons, and the teachers don't stop them. I think they're scared of getting concussed. Well I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of Damon. I once heard when I first came here that when he was stopped by a Prefect; Damon knocked him out cold with a single punch." Christy whispered this, and when she finished, she stood up perfectly straight and began to walk back down the steps and back around the school.

They reached the library which was already surrounded with several strange looking people, including a particularly large person with his zipper undone. They were trading cards and reading comic books.

"The library is where all the nerds spend their time." Christy said, slowing down but not completely stopping. "If you spend time in the library they'll swarm you and start going on about their comic collections." Christy warned, watching as they started waving towards the girls. They quickly moved on.

"Well that's the tour of the grounds; you want one inside the school too?" She asked, as they reached the front of the school again.

"The school doesn't look too big, and I'm sure I have the same lessons as you…I'll just get to know it later on. Is there anything like…To do around here?" She asked, glancing around.

"Oh yeah, of course, the Carnival, the movies down in Bullworth Vale, Boxing, shopping, and I guess since you're a newcomer, you could say touring the area would be something to do." Christy stated with a little grin.

"The Carnival sounds fun." Chantelle said with a smile of her own.

"Well maybe we can go sometime this week. You can get to know the school a bit first and then we can make a day of it. How does that sound?"

"Great." Chantelle said happily.

"Ok awesome, well look I gotta go meet Ricky. I'll talk to you later." She waved and then quickly made her way back to the Greaser's hang-out. Chantelle bid her goodbye and then realizing she was on her own, made her way back to the Girls Dormitory and in to her room.

She unpacked her cases, hanging her clothes in the musty smelling wardrobe, putting some posters up above her bed and placing some of her possessions on her desk. Closing the door, she collapsed on her bed. She looked at the clock (5:03pm already), stifling a yawn, she eventually drifted off in to a dreamless sleep.

It felt as though only a few minutes had passed since Chantelle had dozed off, but when she woke up again it was 9:17pm. She squinted her eyes to focus and saw that the dorm light was on, and Christy was reading a magazine on her bed. Chantelle sat up and leant against the wall, and Christy peered over the top of her mag.

"Oh, sorry did I wake you? I was trying to be as quiet as possible." Christy said, closing her magazine and putting it on the floor.

"No you didn't, when did you come in?" She asked, glancing back down at the clock.

"Around eight," Christy replied, folding her arms over her pink pyjamas. "Ricky had some so-called business to attend to, so I just came back here."

"Ok. What time do you set your alarm for?" Chantelle asked, feeling rather sleepy again.

"At eight, it gives us time to get ready, maybe slap on some make-up and do our hair. That's ok with you?"

"Yeah sure…I think I'm gonna go to sleep again, I'm exhausted."

"Me too, you don't mind turning the light off do you?" Christy asked, pulling the sheets up to her chin.

Chantelle got out of bed and switched off the light, then climbed back into the warm and strangely comfortable bed, before falling asleep again.


	2. Food Fight

**Chapter Two – Food Fight**

_I wrote a goodbye note  
In lipstick on your arm  
When you passed out  
I couldn't bring myself to call  
Except to call it quits_

Chantelle sat up slowly and opened her eyes, the Sun was shining straight through the window, and the curtains hadn't even been pulled shut. She looked around and saw Christy fumbling around, getting her uniform together. Chantelle got out of her own bed and started dressing for her first proper school day at Bullworth.

"Morning!" Christy said happily, pulling up her socks.

"Morning…" Chantelle replied dismally, feeling somewhat annoyed at getting woken up so early after having six weeks of lay-ins.

"We have Photography and English today; it's a pretty simple day. You should be glad." Christy said, pulling on her shoes before beginning on her make-up.

_This city says  
Come hell or high water  
When I'm feeling hot and wet  
I can't commit to a thing  
Be it heart or hospital_

Chantelle brushed her hair back in to a high sweeping ponytail, before putting some eye-liner and mascara on. She finished getting ready just before Christy, and they had fifteen minutes to spare.

"You ready?" Christy asked switching off the alarm clock and moving quickly to the door. Chantelle approached her and they set off on the short walk to the school.

"Ms. Phillips is our Art and Photography teacher. She's nice, not strict at all." Christy explained, walking out into the warm September sunlight. "You do have to get work done though, she makes sure of that. Oh hey Angie." Christy waved to a bespectacled girl with dark black hair which was split into two plaited pigtails.

"Christy hi!" Angie replied with a small smile. "Who's your new friend?" She asked, looking at Chantelle and seemingly surveying her.

"Chantelle, she's in my dorm room. Chantelle this is Angie, Angie this is Chantelle." Christy replied.

"Hey," Chantelle said, shaking her hand. They then walked on, meeting Ricky who gave Christy a little kiss on the cheek before leaving, Pinky Gauthier, Derby's Preppy girlfriend, who Christy seemed to get along fine with, and the nerd she had seen the day before, with his zipper down.

"Hello my dear newbie!" He greeted Chantelle, waving at her. "How are you on this fine and wonderful morning?"

Chantelle stared at him for at least five seconds, taking in his appearance. Ginger, curly hair, circular spectacles, a rather disgusting smell and a very high voice. Christy quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the Art and Photography classroom.

Ms. Phillips walked in a few minutes later, a tall slender woman who was accustomed to wearing brown. People seated themselves as she sat on the end of her desk, her smile never wavering. Chantelle remained standing, having no idea where to sit.

"Yes…Yes I was expecting that. Sit down there my dear, beside young Gary Smith. Don't worry dear, he won't bite." She smiled a little wider.

Chantelle followed her instructions obediently and sat beside Gary, a boy with a very distinguishable scar across his right eye. He didn't look at her as she sat down, but continued watching Ms. Phillips with a bored look plastered across his features.

"Now. Through-out the course of the year, you will be given specific assignments that you will put into your Portfolio. I will be grading you on your will to follow rules, your creativity and of course your photographs. Each of you will be given a camera which is in color, so no swapping them around this year!" The teacher said, staring round at the class. She had stood up and was now rummaging in her cupboard and came out with a large box. She took out the cameras and began to pass them around.

"Your first assignment will be to take pictures of beautiful scenic areas inside the confines of Bullworth Academy; it will be needed for next lesson. And for your first lesson you will each be given two photos, you will write a list of what is good and bad about the composition. I expect at least five things for each photo." Ms. Phillips then went around, handing out the small photo's and lined paper. "You may begin."

The class then started talking almost immediately, people occasionally wrote things down on their lined paper. Chantelle picked up her pen in her left hand and twirled it between her fingers. The boy next to her, Gary, turned to talk to her. "Such a stupid lesson, it's a photograph. I could be spending my time doing more important things…" He muttered. Chantelle turned to him and saw that he was speaking to her.

"Erm…" She began, but Gary cut across her.

"There's more important things to be doing, things to be…stirring."

"Stirring?" Chantelle said quickly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Stirring." He grinned at her, making Chantelle's skip a beat. She watched him doodle on his paper, before he looked up.

"Your new aren't you. You came yesterday? Yeah I saw you." He said, smiling again. "Your name's Chantelle."

"Yeah I did and yeah my name's Chantelle." She said, not being able to hide a little smile herself. Gary nodded then went back to doodling on his paper, writing his name in curls and then drawing the Bullworth logo.

"Do you like it here?" He asked, this time not looking up from his paper.

"I guess…It's ok. Some of the people here seem nice." She said, writing some of the points Ms. Phillips had asked the class to write down.

"The school will be far better once I'm in control." He muttered, his comment was barely audible, but Chantelle heard school and control. She looked back at the photograph of some sloping snowy mountains and wrote another good point about it.

"Do you have English next period?" Gary asked, turning to face her again. Chantelle finished writing her good point with a full-stop and looked at him.

"Yeah I do." She said, remembering what Christy had told her before they left the girls dorm.

"So I guess we're going to be in the same classes. You know, I sit on my own in most classes. People tend to avoid me." He rested his head on his hand.

"Oh…Why's that?" She asked, feeling a tad bit of sympathy for him.

"ADD primarily, but then there's everything else…This school, the people in it you know." Gary replied, with a deep sigh.

"Well I don't see anything wrong with you…" Chantelle added with a small smile. Gary returned it, and then Ms. Phillips was up to the front again. She cleared her throat.

"The bell will be ringing in ten minutes. Oh how the time flies when you're having fun." She let out a false hearty little laugh. "I want…Petey to collect the photographs up and you Algernon to collect the paper."

A small boy with a blue Bullworth vest and a pink top layered underneath went around the classroom, collecting the photographs and often getting teased and laughed at. Algernon, the nerdy kid they had seen earlier went around collecting the lined paper that they had to write on.

Petey arrived at Gary and Chantelle's table, and Gary was holding his pictures between his index and middle finger. "There you go femmeboy. Tell me, have you met Chantelle yet? She's new…Chantelle this is Petey, the girliest boy in school!" Gary said with a little hearty laugh. Petey looked slightly upset, but snatched the photos out of Gary's hand. "Shut up Gary!" He muttered, as he collected Chantelle's photos and then scurrying away. Gary smirked, and before Chantelle could say anything, the bell had echoed around school and the class was dismissed.

Christy was waiting for Chantelle outside, her camera in her hand. "So what do you think of Ms. Phillips then?" She asked as soon as they both started walking.

"She's kinda strange, but I guess she's ok." Chantelle said, following Christy down the stairs and in to the dining hall. There were only around three people in there, a small kid with pink shoes who was sitting with another small kid, a girl with blonde pigtails, and a Jock, Damon.

Christy grabbed some fruit from the basket and began to eat. "I wouldn't get dinner if I was you." Christy warned her as Chantelle went to get a tray. "Edna is a foul cook, doesn't know the meaning of the word hygienic." Christy continued, staring at the dinner lady who was now serving some grey sort of liquid. Instead, Chantelle grabbed some fruit like Christy. The hall was beginning to fill up, and the meal that Edna was serving was used only for one thing. Throwing. A blonde haired Bully started it all off. He put some on a spoon and stared at it for a second, and then aimed it at one of the Preps. He sent it flying in their direction and instead of reaching its target; it hit Damon on the back of the head.

"WHO DID THAT!?" Damon yelled with anger. Trent lowered his head slightly, before Damon decided it was one of the Preps, and dumped the whole lot of his meal on to the one closest to him. A black-haired one called Parker. Parker jumped up in rage and threw his half eaten banana, which landed in Hal's (A large Greaser) food.

Whilst all this was happening, Edna was in the kitchen area, stirring up some more of her grey gruel, and then somebody yelled "FOOD FIGHT!" This made her look up and turn around. People were throwing food in every direction, apples, bananas, oranges, gruel and even trays.

Christy screamed and grabbed Chantelle by the vest as she ducked and avoided an oncoming apple. Chantelle leaped to her feet, holding Christy's arm, and nearly diving on to the floor to avoid a banana. "RUN!" She heard Christy scream, and they were off, bounding up the stairs. A prefect had come running into the hall and skidded on a banana skin, making him fall backwards, knocking the wind right out of him. Another prefect jumped over his colleague and was hit with a barrage of food and trays.

Christy and Chantelle stopped just before they reached the doors leading out into the grounds.

"This school is really insane. They're so nice, showing you exactly what it's like here. The prefects can hardly ever get the food fights to settle down unless Crabblesnitch arrives." Christy explained, watching the Principal stride out of his office and march down the steps towards the dinner hall. There was a lot of screaming, yelling and the smash of cheap china before Crabblesnitch resurfaced, holding Damon by the scruff of his Jock letterman jacket and Trent by the sleeve of his dirty shirt.

"C'mon. Ricky said he wanted to meet me." Christy said, directing her out of the school to the outside. They walked round, watching as an extremely spotty looking Bully start insulting Angie. The girls walked through the Car Park and in to the Greasers territory, where Ricky was leaning against the wall, talking to another Greaser who was wearing a denim jacket.

"Look I'll catch up with you later yeah?" Ricky said, patting Lucky on the shoulder before giving Christy a delicate kiss.

"I thought you were gonna meet me straight after class?" He asked, giving her a flattering grin.

"We went to get a bite to eat, but it turned out to be a fully fledged food fight. Did I keep you waiting?" Christy replied flirtatiously.

"Hey Christy, I'm gonna make a start on this Photography homework, I'll catch you later." She quickly moved away from them, finding it better to not intrude on their relationship.

Chantelle walked past the bullies who were now spray-painting something about the Nerds next the run-down school bus. She sighed and turned right, deciding to take a few pictures of the Bull throwing the football, and maybe Harrington house. She was deciding on what other places she was going to take pictures of when she went crashing into someone. She stumbled backwards and saw the short boy with the pink shirt from earlier in Photography.

"I'm sorry. Not paying attention to where I'm going…" He stuttered, picking up his books that had fallen out of his hands. He looked up and took a step backwards. Chantelle smiled.

"Its ok, I wasn't really paying attention myself…Erm, you're the lad Gary teased earlier aren't you?" She asked, her smile faltering slightly.

"Yeah…I don't listen to him much though. Not when he calls me names. I've got to go, gotta be somewhere, cya!" He then scurried off in to the school, leaving Chantelle alone. She looked around and saw that Christy was still nowhere to be seen, and so she advanced towards the fountain and whipped her camera out. She took a single photo then got bored, and instead sat down on the marble fountain and glanced around. There was a cluster of Preps with their heads together talking animatedly in their strong posh accents. They were wearing the same dark and light blue checkered aquaberry vests. One Jock walked by her, not even noticing her, he was wearing a letterman jacket and had a very strong Polish accent. She stared at him for a few seconds as he joined the other Jocks and then turned her attention to the other students. A small whiny kid went by, talking about Mr. Hattrick the math teacher, and how he had called him a twerp. She let another sigh escape and sat wondering just how anti-social the school was when someone took a seat right beside her.

"I'm guessing you're the new girl?" Came a posh female voice. Chantelle turned her head and saw a very pretty girl with a shoulder-length haircut sat next to her. She was unmistakably the Prep girl, Pinky Gauthier.

"Yeah you are I saw you earlier with Christy. We weren't formally introduced. I'm Pinky." She stuck out her hand and Chantelle shook it.

"Chantelle, nice to meet you," She said with a smile.

"Like-wise, I saw you sat by yourself and well I thought I'd come over here and give you company. Is Christy with that Ricky guy?" She asked, watching her with a smile.

"Yeah she is, they're near the Auto Shop."

"I always said that that Ricky guy wasn't good enough for her, but she doesn't listen to me." Pinky explained, turning her head towards the Auto-Shop and sighing. "He's a nice enough guy at times, but he can be such a jerk!" She said crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, when Christy was a few minutes later for a date, he literally ditched her to go hang out at the tenements with his Greasy buddies. He treats her like dirt most of the time."

Chantelle listened to Pinky, and was actually surprised at the amount of information she was giving her in such a short space of meeting her.

"Anyway, how are you finding the school then?" Pinky asked grinning. "I found it atrocious when I first came here but I've gotten used to all of the bullying and crap classes."

"It's ok…I guess. I do think the school is kinda anti-social though." Chantelle said with a grimace.

"That's the way they are with new people. There's this Jimmy Hopkins lad supposed to be coming sometime through-out the week. He's going to get teased and bullied to the maximum, just because he's new."

"And I don't because…?" Chantelle asked, facing Pinky.

"Cause you're a girl silly!" Pinky replied laughing. She looked down at the time and then stood up. "Well I've got to go. There's a meeting at Harrington House, enjoy whatever lesson you have next." She waved and then strutted off.

Chantelle waited for a few more minutes for the bell, and when it did ring, she walked slowly down to the English classroom. She was seated by one of the windows in the middle of the room and was behind Pete Kowalski, in front of Gary and at the side of Christy, who was looking happier than before. The English teacher stumbled in and glanced around, quite amazed that he had a room full of students, he smiled.

"Ah. Welcome back to a…another year at Bullworth Academy. I am your English teacher, Mr. Galloway." He said with a slight drunken tone. "I have prepared a lesson for you…You there…Yes you get up here."

A boy wearing a blue denim jacket stood up and walked over to the front, his eyes glaring malevolently at Mr. Galloway.

"Hand out these sheets, quickly boy." He said, nearly smacking the Greaser around the head instead of simply passing the sheets on. The Greaser stood still for a second, seemingly embarrased at doing such a menial job, before going around the class and handing the sheets of paper out.

"Now…Settle down! This sheet contains…Urghh, excuse me." Mr. Galloway started coughing and spluttering but stood up straight and continued. "The sheet contains several metaphors and similes. You will identify which is which and then write your own. Begin." Galloway then sat down in his chair behind his desk and got out a flask.

Chantelle looked down at her sheet and saw about 50 sentences crammed on to it. She raised her eyebrow and looked across at Christy who was still watching the teacher with a slightly disgusted look playing across her face.

"Christy what's up?" Chantelle asked. Christy looked around.

"He's drinking again, in that flask. He always puts alcohol in it, and he's drinking right in front of us. It's like totally disgusting!" Christy said with disgust.

"You shouldn't care if it's alcohol or poison." Said Gary from behind her, Chantelle turned to look at him.

"What!?" Christy said alarmed.

"He's only a teacher. A lousy one at that, I mean what sort of teacher shows up drunk to their lessons?" Gary continued, with a smug grin. Christy now turned her disgusted look at Gary.

"What the hell? Mr. Galloway is a great teacher! He always manages to do his lessons." Christy replied angrily, glaring at him.

"Oh. Yeah of course, getting students to hand out a few drinks while he's mind is still in a slight working order…What a brilliant teacher!" Gary said sarcastically.

"You're the one who can't think straight!" Christy snarled back.

Gary's eyes widened. "ADD doesn't mean I can't think straight!" Gary spat back venomously.

"Well you still have a god damn problem then don't you!" Christy screeched back, snapping her pencil in anger.

"Ooh, I'm really scared of a fireball!" Gary teased back. Christy's chair snapped back in to the table behind her, making Eunice topple backwards off her chair.

"That's it! You've had it you stupid freak!" Christy screamed, marching towards him.

Peter, Chantelle and the rest of the class were just watching the commotion whilst Mr. Galloway drank himself into a stupor. Chantelle jumped to her feet and pulled her back to her seat before Christy could do anything stupid. Gary was on his own feet but was teasing her.

"Take your best shot bitch!" He said, with a menacing grin. Chantelle pushed Christy back to her seat and turned round.

"Will you shut the hell up and sit down!" She said to Gary, staring at him uneasily. Gary followed the instruction, but his smug grin remained.

"This school blows!" Someone said from behind her. She ignored the comment and sat down herself. Christy was holding her snapped pencil in a shaking hand, whilst Eunice managed to get herself back up and on her chair. Everyone was now working on the assignment, whilst Mr. Galloway seemed not to notice what had just happened before his very eyes.

The bell rang an hour later and the class piled out, leaving their sheets on the front desk where Mr. Galloway was now snoozing. Chantelle waited for Christy who stormed off as soon as she left the classroom.

"Christy! Christy wait!" Chantelle said, running to catch up to her.

"That stupid jerk, who the hell does he think he is!?" Chantelle heard Christy mutter as she caught up to her.

"Christy, calm down please. He was just being a jerk! All lads are like that at some point." Chantelle explained, turning her head round and seeing Gary leaving with Pete.

"Well I'm so glad Ricky isn't!" She said, folding her arms defensively. Chantelle opened her mouth to make a comment but suddenly felt obliged not to do so. They walked outside and down to the Girls Dorm.

"Hey, Christy, what happened with you and Gary? I heard you had a slanging match or something." Pinky asked, walking up to her with a glittering smile.

"Word gets round quick." Christy muttered, staring at Pinky.

"Yeah, Angie came running down to tell us what happened, he insulted Mr. Galloway didn't he, harsh boy." Pinky said laughing in delight. Chantelle watched with her eyebrow raised.

"You find this funny?" Christy asked, raising her head.

"No of course not, what I find funny is that you were going to smack that little child to the other side of the school." Pinky replied, grinning again.

Christy grunted. "He deserved it, he was taking the mess out of my heritage."

"What! You're related to Mr. Galloway?" Pinky asked her mouth hanging slightly open.

"No you fool. I mean, he teased me about my hair colour." Christy replied, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. Pinky watched for a second.

"Oh right! I get it now. Well look at the time, Derby will be waiting for me. Ta tar!" She said, waving and quickly walking off.

Christy walked inside the dorm and up to their room where she sat down on the bed and put her feet up. Chantelle followed and sat down on her own bed.

"What a day, aye?" Christy said, stifling a yawn.

"Yeah, I guess it's been a bit tiresome." Chantelle replied, looking at the clock and seeing that it was only 3:48pm.

"This day has seemed to drag on forever," Chantelle said looking up at the ceiling.

"Get used to it, it's like this everyday." Christy replied with a scowl.

* * *

_Authors Notes: Long chapter I know, but I guess I got carried away. Read, Enjoy, Review  
Song: Bang the Doldrums - Fall Out Boy_


	3. Rumour Has It

**Chapter 3 – ****Rumour**** Has It**

_Keep you in the dark  
You know they__'re all pretend  
Keep you in the dark  
And so it all began_

The slow rhythmic beats erupted through the once silent room, waking Chantelle up quickly. Her eyes itched for more sleep, but she refrained from falling back on her pillow. Instead, she stood up and moved over to Christy who had apparently been able to sleep through the alarm clock.

Shaking her gently by the shoulder, Christy opened her eyes, groaned and then rolled over. Chantelle rolled her eyes. This was the second time this week, and it was already Thursday. Yes, she had been here for four days now.

_Send in your skeletons  
Sing as their bones go marching in... again  
The need you buried deep  
The secrets that you keep are at the ready  
Are you ready?  
I'm finished making sense  
Done plea__ding ignorance  
That whole __defence_

Defence…She needed that from all the bullies, idiots and nut-heads around Bullworth. Ignoring Christy who would no doubt rise from her bed in a minute or two, Chantelle walked around the side of her own bed and put her uniform on her bed, slowly changing into it. She frowned at her appearance in the mirror opposite her. Her hair was a complete mess; sticking up all over the place…It was always a girl's worst nightmare. Brushing it quickly and roughly and placing it in a high straight pony-tail she finished getting ready and left before Christy had even put on her socks.

She wanted some fresh air, just a walk around campus before lessons began. She had been placed next to Gary in nearly all of her lessons, excluding Math, English and Home Economics, and he was incredibly random. But the thing was, she had never ever seen him outside of lessons, and even if she did see him leave the classroom, perhaps follow him on the way to the dining room, she would never see him eat down there, never see him go study or play pranks on some innocent youngsters nothing.

Shaking her head, she pulled Gary out of her thoughts. She didn't really want to think about him last night…Once again for the second night Christy had been muttering things in her sleep, which made Chantelle worry more about her state of mind then anything else.

It had always been the same lines, with hefty chunks of information missing. Something about burning down the school, parents with no love and difficult relationships. She had yet to talk to Christy about this, it was quite hard to slip it into a conversation, and she had been extremely irrational since the argument with Gary Smith, unless of course this was her showing what she really was like.

Chantelle opened the door to the outside and descended the steps. She had really wanted to go visit the town of Bullworth, but naturally Christy had always wanted to spend time with Ricky who in turn was always at the Auto-Shop, most of the time she would either stand around nearby, or wander around campus, getting eyed by the Nerd she had seen in the previous days or being stopped by numerous prefects which seemed a common thing in the grounds.

"Hey new girl!"

Turning round she was Mandy, the head cheerleader, running towards her, a smile plastered to her pale face. She seemed extremely cheerful about something, and as she reached her, she saw that the smile seemed to stretch even further across her face

"Why didn't you tell me? God, getting boys already and you've only been here for four days." Mandy said in a high voice, putting a hand on Chantelle's shoulder and shaking her slightly. "Even if he is a bit of a…Well he isn't exceptionally good-looking really."

"What the hell are you going on about!?" Chantelle interjected. The head-bitch raised her eyebrow and started at Chantelle as though she was a crazy axe-man. "What am I talking about!? You and Trent you idiot! How can you forget that? Do you have a slow memory or something?"

Chantelle's face turned from confusing, to complete bamboozlement. Her mouth opened slightly as she tried to think of something to say, but could think of nothing. She couldn't actually recall even talking to Trent properly.

"What are you talking about...?" Chantelle began as she saw Mandy's face scrunch up and her mouth open ready to retort. "Listen, I'm not seeing, or dating, anyone, absolutely no-one ok!?"

Mandy opened her mouth once again, but Chantelle removed her hand from her shoulder and walked away, her mind racing from what had just been said. She stopped just in front of the steps leading towards the school, and then quickly veered right. She remembered the white shirted, blonde haired boy who had started the food fight on Tuesday, and she knew where those white-shirted guys hung out.

Turning right again, she walked into the empty car-park. Nobody seemed to actually park here, mind she wouldn't if the bullies guarded it. Scanning the area, she saw Trent spray-painting the wall with bright green spray. Biting her lip she approached him. A few of the bullies who had seen her, wolf-whistled but she ignored them. No doubt Trent had told them about them apparently 'dating' too.

"Hey Trent," Chantelle said, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible…Perhaps she had already started to get Christy's fiery temper. She watched Trent turn round, and she registered his face. His hair was messy, perhaps even run through with a slop of gel. His skin was imperfect with dots of red pimples, and his eyes were a steely colour of blue. She didn't mind the pimples really, since she got them often. She moved her gaze from his dry lips to those blue eyes.

"Well if it isn't Chantelle." Trent said, his voice calm and casual, as he ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier. He also gave her a flashing smile that showed perfect teeth, even though her probably spent most of his life getting into fights.

"Yeah, what have you been saying to people?" She said quickly, trying to get to the point before the other bullies decided to gather around them, they were already moving towards them.

"Oh, nothing really," Trent said, staring directly into her eyes. He seemed pretty confident at any rate.

"Nothing…? That Mandy has just walked up to me saying that I'm dating you!" She said, trying to keep her voice calm, but she was prone to have temper tantrums that could sometimes last for ages. "Come off it Trent, just come out with the truth."

"I'm telling you the truth! I've said nothing about you. Absolutely nothing, I don't even know you Miss. Prissy." He said loudly, leaning in towards her so they were barely a few inches from each other. Chantelle glared at Trent coldly, before turning around and storming away from him, whilst a couple of the bullies jeered at her. Trent however just raised his eyebrows and watched her walk off.

Rounding the corner she stopped and breathed in deeply, leaning heavily against the wall. She was now scarlet in the face, feeling incredibly stupid to just go walking up to him and accuse him of something her never said in the first place. _Right, where the hell are you Mandy…You're in for it…_

Walking again, she walked to the Girls Dormitory and saw Christy and Mandy talking outside, obviously Mandy was attempting to spread the news even further but Christy looked reluctant to believer her. When Christy caught sight of Chantelle, she walked towards her, grabbing Mandy by the elbow.

"What's all this about you and Trent?" Christy asked sounding not one bit convinced about Mandy's story. Chantelle felt a sudden rush of gratitude towards Christy.

"Nothing, it's all a lie, made by her." She jabbed her finger at Mandy who looked temporarily surprised, but regained her natural pout and posture. "She decided it would be good to make a rumour up about me, you know, spread it around a bit…Get me into a bit of trouble with a couple of the bullies…Try to embarrass me in front of the school. Too bad it backfired eh?" Chantelle continued venomously. Her temper was beginning to get the better of her again.

"What's this you're making up Chantelle?" Mandy started, but Christy was glaring at her with ferocity. "Oh come on now, it was just a bit of fun…Just so she could get used to things…Get used to how Bullworth is ran." Mandy said shrugging, flicking her short hair out of her hairs. "Just a tester, see how she handles things and I guess she's quite a confident little ruby isn't she." She said grinning and attempting to squeeze her cheeks.

Chantelle slapped her hand away from her, continuing to glare at her with immense dislike. "Yeah whatever Mandy, guess what I don't need people like YOU." She spat before walking away from her. Christy gave Mandy a gleeful smirk before walking after Chantelle.

"Well done girl, you told that head-bitch!" She said cheerfully, patting Chantelle on the shoulder, who in return smiled quite broadly at her. Walking towards the school, the bell rang which signalled a large groan from Christy.

"C'mon. We've got Maths and we better not be late, Mr. Hattrick is one strict…" She trailed off as the Janitor walked by with his huge mop.

Arriving a couple of minutes later, she saw her fellow classmates lining up outside the door in complete silence as Mr. Hattrick waited for the remaining students. When Gary, Pete and a new kid turned up, the class were allowed to go inside where they found bright orange books with their names on designating their seating plans.

Going down the first isle attempting to find her book, she found that it was the desk at the very back of the classroom, and the desk beside her belonged to Gary Smith. The one in front was designated to Christy. With a sigh of relief, Chantelle quickly seated herself on the chair. Mr. Hattrick walked in and without any further ado, began his lesson on some particularly tricky algebra.

After an hours work, Mr. Hattrick designated the remainder of the lesson on a worksheet where at least 100 problems were written. Chantelle stared down at the sheet and saw that she could have done at least ten out of the hundred. She wasn't exactly good at math. Picking up her pen she started on the first few, but after half an hour she put her pen down and massaged her head. She saw that most of the class were now not even bothering to do their work either and were quietly talking, passing notes or doodling on their books.

"Psst."

Chantelle turned her head and saw Gary leaning in towards her. Raising an eyebrow, she looked up towards Mr. Hattrick who was far too busy in his own work to notice what anyone else was doing. She looked across at Christy who surprisingly was still working.

"What?" Chantelle whispered quietly back.

"There's a fight tonight…Between that Greaser Ricky and Trent." Gary replied back with a small smirk. Chantelle looked confused and then shocked.

"What the…Why are they fighting!?" Chantelle whispered quickly back, forcing herself to remain calm. She looked back at Christy who had her head down, her pen was not moving and probably wasn't when she first saw her.

"Well I don't know do I? I'm just the messenger." He said, a smirk still playing across his face. "It's at the car park, I'll expect to be seeing you…And her there." Gary continued, jerking his head in the direction of Christy.

"Well I suppose we'll have…"

"Detention," Mr Hattrick yelled at the top of his voice, making the class jump in unison. Chantelle's head jerked to the front of the class and she saw Mr. Hattrick wagging his finger in the direction of her and Gary. "To the both of you, I do not expect talking in my class especially when I've already assigned a task for you to complete…"

He walked down the isle, side-ways because of the bulk, and glared down at Chantelle's almost empty paper, and at Gary's plain sheet. "Definitely worth a detention! And let that go the rest of you too! You do not complete the work I set you; you will be given a detention!"

With that the bell rang and class quickly packed away. Chantelle stood up slowly, crumpled up the paper and threw it in the bin which was near the door. She was the first one and out, and so she waited for Christy. Several people sneered at her as they walked by, Gary just winked and when Christy finally came out she looked extremely angry about something.

"Talking with Gary Smith are you know? Don't you remember what he said to me!?" Christy said angrily, walking quickly along the corridor towards the dining hall.

"No, listen Christy, Ricky's meant to be fighting!" Chantelle added quickly, biting her lip and aiming to keep up with her best friend, but in the process she nearly walked in to her as Christy stopped abruptly.

"Oh no, no way he is NOT fighting!" Christy said angrily, turning on her heel and just randomly walking.

"Car Park." Chantelle said simply, and Christy turned once again, but she started running instead. Chantelle ran along-side her, keeping the pace. Once they were outside, it was clear that the rest of the school had already been told about the fight, because people were moving over to the Car park. The younger students were talking to the Prefects, no doubt distracting them.

Once they had reached the Car Park, Ricky and Trent were already fighting, launching their fists at each other, aiming kicks and trying to grapple. Chantelle stopped just outside the ring of one-lookers but Christy ran straight through and started yelling at Ricky who wasn't listening.

Chantelle turned her head and saw Gary Smith leaning casually against the wall, the same smirk still plastered on his face.

"Wait a minute; you've got something to do with this haven't you?" Chantelle said, walking towards him. Gary raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged. "C'mon I'm just an innocent bystander like the rest of these asses."

"Well if you're a bystander then why aren't you watching? I didn't realize you can see through walls now."

Gary continued smirking and walked closer to Chantelle, placing a hand under her chin and stared directly in her eyes. "Oh it's not that I don't want to watch the fight, it's just that there's one hell of a gorgeous girl standing in my way…" He said before walking away. Chantelle stood temporarily stunned, and when she turned around to shout him back, she saw that he had just disappeared.

Chantelle heard a scream and turned round. Trent was now fleeing the scene as Prefects started pilfering through the crowd of onlookers. Christy was down on the floor and Ricky was kneeling down beside her.

"Christy!" Chantelle yelled, flinging herself through the crowd, whacking somebody in the face in the process. She knelt down beside Christy and saw that her nose was bust and bloody.

"Who did that!?" A spectacled Prefect shouted, pointing down at Christy and glaring round at the students who were now backing away. Ricky looked directly at Chantelle and tilted his head slightly. Chantelle understood. In his and Trent's punch-fest, Christy had gotten in Ricky's way and he'd punched her instead.

"He went that way." Chantelle said calmly, pointing in the direction of the Girls Dormitory. The Prefect hitched up his tie and started running. Christy was now stood up and was mopping her nose with some tissue that Ricky had given her.

"Look, I'm sorry…But there are things that can only be sorted out by this." Ricky was explaining, but Christy stood up and looked at him, slightly disgusted.  
"No Ricky. There's no reason to use your god-damn fists. From now on, I think we should go on a break…For a few days…Maybe a week or something." Christy said, squinting slightly from the pain in her nose. "See you around."

Christy walked away leaving Chantelle and Ricky alone. "I'm sorry Ricky, maybe she'll be more herself tomorrow yeah? Just give her a bit of time." Chantelle gave him a small weak smile, not entirely sure if anything would change tomorrow, but she knew one thing…That she needed to find Gary Smith.

* * *

_Authors Note: Read&Review. More action this time round. Song is Foo Fighters - Pretender_


	4. Detention Served

**Chapter 4 – Detention Served**

"You know, I'm glad we've got that stupid Photography homework sorted out." Christy said putting her camera back in her bag. They had spent most of their lunch break running round the school looking for decent pictures to take for Ms. Phillips. It was hard enough trying to find neat and tidy areas of Bullworth Academy, let alone scenic ones.

"Yep, it was sort of weighing me down…First lesson I had and we had to complete homework…I mean nobody else has set us any." Chantelle replied. They were both sat outside in the hazy rays of the sunlight at the back of the football stands. They were watching a few of the Jocks pass around a football, yelling at each other if one of them dropped it.

Chantelle had been meaning to find Gary Smith most of day, but she had not seen him, not even in lessons. Naturally, the teachers didn't take much notice about truancy, so he was basically allowed to do it. Christy had not been anywhere near the Auto-Shop since yesterday's fiasco, and whenever Chantelle decided to bring the subject of her and Ricky up, she would either completely change the subject, go blank or just simply walk off, so Chantelle had given up asking if they were still together, or if they were going to call it quits.

"You know what? I think we should just skip Gym. It's not like we want to go near Burton is it…I think we should actually." Christy piped up, leaning against the wooden stands and stretching out her legs. "I hate Burton, he's such a creep. I swear he spies on us girls whilst we're getting changed…Maybe he hides in the toilets or something and peers under the door. Even Eunice Pound is good enough for him."

Chantelle had not yet had such pleasure to meet Mr. Burton, which she was glad of because both Christy and Pinky, whom Chantelle had become very good friends with, both complained about how perverted he was. Chantelle however, did not reply to Christy's comment, she merely shrugged, continuing to watch the Jocks now flocking towards a Nerd, Algernon, who she could hear screaming even though they were the furthest away from him. Even through the squealing, she heard the bell ring in the distance and Christy sighed slightly.

"We better go…I've never really been one to truant to tell you the truth. It's just something me and Ricky…" Christy trailed off and stood up quickly. "We don't want to be late…You don't ever want to get detention with Burton." Christy said quickly, her words tumbling over one another. She gestured being sick before making her way down the bleachers.

Chantelle shook her head slightly and followed her friend, making sure she didn't trip on all the junk that had been either thrown at the stands, or had been left, including Frisbees, popped balls and food wrappers.

They reached the P.E hall and saw Mr. Burton in his small shorts and dirty vest top leering at them.  
"Well what you waiting for? Hurry up and get changed!" He yelled, his voice echoing dully off the walls. Chantelle rolled her eyes as Christy pulled her down towards the changing rooms, where Angie, Pinky and Eunice were already changed in their P.E kits. Pinky was looking slightly disgusted at Eunice.

After a dull P.E lesson which included Burton staring at the girls whilst they played dodge ball, Eunice falling over her own feet and busting her nose open, Pinky screaming when the ball came even close to her and Angie breaking her glasses, the bell rang and granted the students freedom for the rest of the day.

Chantelle emerged from the girls locker room flustered and annoyed. She had to wash her hands to get Eunice's blood off them, since she had to be the one to escort the student back to the changing rooms. Luckily enough, she and Christy managed to escape the Jock hangout before things got any messier.

"You know, I really do wish I had skipped that stupid class now…That game was pathetic, worse then last year." Christy muttered, now sorting her hair out since she hadn't had time before.  
"Even Pinky wasn't as girly as that last year, she caught the ball and smacked it so hard at Angie that she shattered her glasses, well at least Angie brought it on herself this year." Christy said with a small shrug.

They had now reached the fountain and saw the usual, Preps hanging out outside Harrington House and the Greasers lurking around the Auto-Shop. Christy's head immediately turned towards the hangout, where she heard her name being repeatedly shouted out. Chantelle looked over and saw Ricky running towards her, looking even slicker than he usually did. He had a bunch of pink flowers in his hands that looked as though they had just been picked. Christy stared at Ricky as though he was crazy.

"Christy! Christy look I get these for ya, see look." Ricky said, straightening himself out when he had finally reached her. He held out the flowers for her to take but Christy was still looking shocked.

"Ricky what're you doing!?" Christy said shaking her head slightly. Chantelle rolled her eyes at how insensitive she was being.  
"Christy just take the god damn flowers." She whispered to her friend. Christy bit her bottom lip and then gently took the flowers out of Ricky's grasp.

"Look we need to talk…Away from everyone please." She said, staring around and seeing that some of the younger students were now gathering round to see what all the commotion was about.

"I'll see you in the Girls Dorm Christy," Chantelle said, Christy nodded as a gesture that she understood before her and Ricky walked away. Chantelle watched them for a few seconds before turning away and making her way to her dorm. Walking to the front of the school she saw Gary Smith making his way through the students to the school. Chantelle bit her lip before running towards him; she had to talk to him.

She weaved through the crowd, which included an irate looking Nerd arguing with a Non-Clique, threatening him with a firecracker, Angie looking lost and confused, Beatrice with her nose in a science book, and Damon chasing after a screaming Prep.

Chantelle finally reached Gary and she grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned round and his face changed slightly, so instead of the normal frowning expression he had a small smile on his face. He opened his mouth to speak but Chantelle spoke before he could say anything.

"Look. I want to know what you were doing yesterday, and don't give me all this crap about me being pretty or whatever the hell you said. I know you only said that so I'd be all stunned…So spit it out." Chantelle said, her words toppling out very quickly. She blushed slightly and stepped back away from Gary, whose eyebrow was raised.

"I've already told you Chantelle. I was watching." He said his voice calm and slow as though he was speaking to a three-year old. He glanced down at his watch and back up again. "You're cutting it very fine you know. We only have like two minutes."

"What? You weren't watching you were leaning against a wall whilst the fight was happening on the other side…And why have we only got two minutes left? Is the world going to end?" She said sarcastically, folding her arms over her chest and staring at him oppressively.

"No you idiot," Gary said reproachfully, glaring back at her. "We've got two minutes until our detention with Mr. Hattrick, and unless you want to get a weeks worth of detention, I'd move your feet and stop talking about useless things to me." He continued, a triumphant smile now playing across his face. Chantelle opened her mouth to retaliate but found that he had a point…That they had better hurry up and get to Hattrick's classroom before they were late.

Chantelle moved past him, hurrying in to the school. Gary followed her, keeping his eyes firmly on the back of her blonde head. She could feel his gaze, but kept walking, faster and faster until she reached the Mathematician's door. Knocking, she heard his voice asking her to come in and so she did.

"Sit down in your usual seating plan. I will be giving you the one hundred problems. You will work on them for an hour and then you will be able to leave…Do you both understand?" Mr. Hattrick said, holding the sheets in his hand. Chantelle turned her head and saw Gary nod and sit down. Chantelle did the same and waited for the sheet to be thrust upon her.

"Now I have some more duties to attend to, but I dare say I shall be back in a few minutes. I expect you to do this problems and NOT talk." He said angrily, slamming a hand on Chantelle's desk, making her jump. "Right, your hour begins now." He said solemnly, walking out of the classroom.

Chantelle picked up her pen and stared down at the paper full of complicated looking problems. She scratched her head and felt a small headache coming along. Sighing she started the work.

After what seemed more than an hour, the door opened behind them and Mr. Hattrick appeared at the door, clipboard and several books in hand. He raised his eyebrows at the two students who were sat in front of him, almost as though he had forgotten they were actually there in the first place.

"Oh yes." Mr. Hattrick said, giving them a little chuckle. Chantelle twisted her head to see him smirking. "Yes, yes…Well I hope you realise that I will not tolerate insolence in my lessons! I hope you have completed your assigned work, if not you will be coming back every night until it's done!" He said jovially walking to his desk and dropping the heavy volumes on to it with an echoing bang. Gary Smith was staring at him, idly twisting his pen between his fingers. Chantelle, grateful that she had at least kept her concentration on her work to actually finish it stood up and passed her papers to Hattrick before making her exit.

She had only been walking down the deserted corridor for a few seconds before she heard her name being called out, however it wasn't the deep jovial voice of Hattrick; it was a voice full of sarcasm.

"Chantelle, don't tell me you finished all your work like a good little student." Gary Smith said, walking towards her sneering.

"Well I didn't feel like doing an extra week worth of detention did I!" She retorted, glaring at him.

"Hah! You think his stupid little threats mean anything? He'll see the name on top of the sheet and let me off the hook." Gary continued his eyebrows arched slightly. "Of course…With you being a nobody at this school, you're probably right. You would get a week worth of detention."

Chantelle felt her face burn red as he finished his sentence and she felt a mad urge just to slap him hard across his sneering face. However, the impulse past and instead she just smiled sweetly back at him.

"Oh I'd rather be a nobody than a complete ass." She said with a small shrug. "With all the problems you have, I doubt you have many friends…I mean you're only well known because you're a complete sociopath!" She yelled back, her voice reverberating off the walls. Gary looked as though he had just been hit in the face with a lead weight. His ears turned a deep crimson and he looked as though his jaw had locked in position.

Feeling triumphant, Chantelle turned on her heel and walked away from him…But almost instantly felt her wrist being snapped back. Forced to turn on the spot, Chantelle was dangerously close to an irate and angry looking Gary Smith, their faces only inches apart.  
"You…You ever say that to me again…" He said in a deadly cold voice, his eyes boring into hers. Chantelle stared back, not even daring to blink…Then almost as quickly as it had happened, he felt the grip on her wrist slacken and she wrenched it away from Gary.

"Whatever." She said, equally coldly before striding out of the school building, with Gary still watching her.


	5. A Likely Tale

**Chapter 5 – A Likely Tale**

It had been a long and tiring week since the dangerous encounter between Chantelle and Gary Smith, and she had not bothered to speak or look at him since, however Chantelle was beginning to regret her quick and sudden outburst that had caused him to react so badly, but she did not voice this to anyone and so she continued with her life as normal.

The day was Saturday, and a particularly miserable and grey one at that. The clouds were laying thick and grey over the usually glowing, illuminating Sun, and a faint drizzle had begun to fall gently from the gloomy depths. Chantelle had decided on finishing up some Chemistry homework and was stuck in the library reading through a heavy but colourful book labelled 'Advanced Chemistry', with a pen poised in her hand a thick note-book laid out in front of her, nearly full already with important notes and information that would probably help get her a good idea.

Looking up, she saw a couple of Nerds walk in, books and cards in their hands and talking in an almost excited whisper. Rolling her eyes, Chantelle chose to ignore their weird ways and continued writing for her essay, but she couldn't help but listen in when she heard the mentioning of Gary Smith.

"I heard that new kid who hands around with Petey and that weird guy, Gary Smith is causing trouble for some of our fellow comrades." Algernon said, his bespectacled eyes darting around the library, almost waiting for Gary Smith or Jimmy Hopkins to actually jump out on them. "I heard that Hopkins has been walking around school beating some of our people up and giving them swirlies and wedgies!" He said his eyes almost popping out of his head as he spoke. "I mean it's preposterous! We have to think of some sort of plan to stop his tirade of violence!"

"Yes, but I have also heard, my fellow companion, that Gary Smith is behind it all." Melvin, a blond haired Nerd who also wore glasses, as well as having a pencil tucked behind his ear started saying. "It has been said that Gary wants Jimmy Hopkins to exercise everybody into believing he is the king of the school! And I say we cannot allow that. We must consult our Grottos and Gremlins players at the Dragon's Comic Book Store and think of a plan immediately!" Melvin said, his voice going steadily higher.

Algernon stopped in his tracks and put a hand under his chin like he was thinking. "Yes…Yes I think I have a brilliant plan…Although it will involve some Stink Bombs and Spud Guns." He said an almost sadistic smile crossing his face. He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and turned on his heel. "We need to find that Chemistry book too. You know the one, the advanced one." He said, starting to look along the dusty shelves.

Looking back down at the pages of her library book, Chantelle slowly realized she had been the one who had taken it in the first place. Biting her lip she closed her note-book and picked both her notes and the library book up, cradling them in her arms. Algernon and Melvin had now disappeared between the towering bookshelves, which enabled Chantelle to quickly sneak out of the library. Once out in the light drizzle of cool rain, Chantelle picked up her speed so she was running through the campus, heading to the girls dormitory.

Once inside the confines of her room, Chantelle plonked her books on her bed and sat on the edge of it. Somehow, she knew that she needed to speak to Gary Smith again, although how and when was a matter that troubled her. She could just go and find Jimmy Hopkins and talk to him instead…Or maybe even Pete Kowalski. Whilst in deep thought, Christy walked in looking happier than she had done all week and plopped herself next to Chantelle.

"Me and Ricky are back together." She said cheerfully, pushing her fringe out of her eyes. "We were just walking round campus talking…The things he was saying." She said, her eyes drifting out of focus dreamily. Chantelle however only listened to the first part and then drifted off to her own thoughts. If what the Nerds were saying was true, the prank or whatever they had planned was going to happen soon, and if she didn't speak to one of them soon, they would be the joke of the school.

Making a quick decision, Chantelle stood up and walked across the room, pulling the door open. Christy looked suddenly scandalised, her eyes glaring at the back of Chantelle's head.

"Where do you think your going? I'm trying to talk to you here!?" She said, her voice high, similar to Melvin's earlier.

"I've got things to do Christy." Chantelle replied shortly, not bothering to turn around. Christy sighed slightly but did not speak any further, so thinking that was a sign to leave, Chantelle closed the door with a snap and ran down the stairs and out into the rain. It had become slightly heavier now, and a low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky. Ignoring it, Chantelle ran past Eunice who had several boxes of chocolates in her hands, past Pinky who was screaming about her hair getting ruined and ran into the school. Glancing round she only saw a couple of younger students who were all talking excitedly about something.

Chantelle walked past them glancing down the corridors to see if she could see any one of them and when she didn't she shook her head. Why would they be in school when it was a Saturday?

Turning on her heel she went to leave again when she saw Pete Kowalski walk inside holding books and homework sheets. Sighing with relief, Chantelle approached him.

"Hey, Pete…" She said quietly, staring at him. Pete looked slightly startled, resulting in him dropping a couple of books. Chantelle raised an eyebrow and swooped down to pick them up.

"I need a word. Now." She said grabbing his arm tightly and steering him down the corridor where they would be out of earshot. Pete still didn't speak a word; he looked too terrified to speak.

"You hang around with that new kid, Jimmy Hopkins don't you?" She asked, her voice still remaining as low as possible. Her eyes darted around the corridor and saw that nobody was in the vicinity. Pete answered with a short nod, his eyes staring into Chantelle's.

"Good. I need to know what Gary Smith and Jimmy Hopkins have got planned." She said, not bothering to keep her voice low now. "What're their plans? Why have they been walking around the school just giving out random punishments and why…Why have they involved you?" She asked her last question was random but inquisitive.

Pete, however, looked slightly hurt and he held the books and sheets of paper closer to his chest, afraid that Chantelle would snatch them off him if he didn't give her what she wanted.

"They don't have any plans…At least I don't think so. I…I mean to say, well…Jimmy isn't exactly liked around here now is he." Pete said quietly, his voice shaking. "All I know is that he's keeping his head down and trying to get on with his life without getting expelled." His voice shuddered again and silence followed. Chantelle stared at Petey, and somehow she still wasn't entirely convinced.

"And…About your other questions, Gary Smith has been teaching Jimmy the basics of the school you know? What goes on, the cliques, everything like that…Punishments? I don't understand what you mean by that." He then leant forward and took the two books from her and tried to scarper away, but Chantelle reached out and grabbed his arm in a pincer-like grip once gain.

"There's something you're not telling me. You know perfectly well what I mean by punishments." She said quietly, as she saw a Prefect pop into view at the end of the corridor.

"Well…It's just that…I've never really had friends before." He said reluctantly, his eyes dropping to gaze at the floor before. "And…Well Jimmy Hopkins and Gary Smith are the only ones I have."

"So you are hiding things from me because you don't want them to find out you ratted on them?" She asked raising an eyebrow. Petey didn't look up, however, and instead nodded his head slightly. Chantelle rolled her eyes, realizing that she wouldn't get any further information from him, and therefore he was particularly useless now.

"Well go on then. Leave," She said, stepping away from him and releasing the grip she had hold on him. Pete quivered slightly and then hurried past her, not bothering to take a second glance back. Chantelle stood there facing the lockers, ignoring the looks the Prefect was giving her. Making up her mind, she decided on going straight to the boys Dormitory, at least that way she'd have a better chance of finding Hopkins and Smith there then in the middle of school on a miserable grey Saturday.

-

Checking that the coast was clear for her to enter the Boys Dormitory, Chantelle quickly ran up the stone steps and barged through the door. She saw a couple of Greasers talking in the television room, and it was lucky that they had not yet noticed her. She moved to the side where there was a bin to get out of their view. Edging her way down the corridor, she looked down either end of the corridor and saw that nobody was there. This struck Chantelle as very odd indeed. She didn't know where their rooms would be, and therefore had to resolve to ask the two Greasers in the TV room.

"Excuse me." Chantelle called out, walking into the room.

The Greasers looked slightly startled, and was glad to see that one of them was Ricky. The other was wearing the usual leather jacket, and she noticed that he had a couple of strands of hair dangling down his fore-head. They both studied her for a second before Ricky walked straight up to her.

"Chantelle, what're ya doing in here? This is the Boys Dormitory ya know?" He said, raising his eyebrows. Chantelle ignored his question and instead quickly asked her own. "Where is Jimmy Hopkins' room?"

The other Greaser strutted up to her, a smirk playing across his face, his hands fitted into the pockets of his jeans. "And why would you want to know something like that?" He asked, his voice was oily and reminded Chantelle of a boy she knew in her old school, baring in mind that they didn't get on very well.

"I need a word with him actually, and what about is none of your business so don't bother to ask." She snapped, moving her gaze from the other Greaser back to Ricky who was chewing on gum, like a horse would chew on grass.

"His room's there." Ricky said shortly, jabbing his thumb to slightly opened door, the first on the left. Chantelle gave Ricky a small smile to thank him before walking to the door and knocking lightly.

It took only a few seconds before a freckled face appeared in the crack between the door and wall. Jimmy Hopkins surveyed Chantelle, from top to bottom before settling back on her face. "Why the hell is girl knocking on my door when this is a Boys Dormitory?" Jimmy said raising his eyebrows just like Ricky did moments ago. Obviously girls never step foot into the boys dormitory, and to be honest she wasn't very surprised. This place was a complete dump. "Are you lost or something?" Jimmy continued sarcastically.

"Of course not," Chantelle snapped, her voice irritable. "I wanted to talk to you actually, or is that too hard to believe?" She asked, her voice now matching the sarcasm of Jimmy Hopkins, who just stared at her. "And why would you want to talk to me? Doing a news report for the school paper on how a new kid survived the first week?" He asked, opening the door slightly more so that half of his body was visible.

"Actually…No," She said shortly, not bothering to wait for him to speak again. "I wanted to talk to you about your friend Gary Smith." She continued, before she pushed open the door and strode inside. Jimmy looked furious and looked ready to push her back out, but he did not and instead he slammed the door shut.

"What the hell do you think your doing!?" Jimmy yelled, his face turning slightly red. Chantelle disregarded this and took to staring around at the dank and gloomy walls of his room. She turned her head back to him and saw that his anger was still seething through. "Well I'm not standing out there to talk to you; I don't fancy having people eavesdropping." She said quickly, she didn't think she liked being alone with this brute for any longer than she had to.

"Why did Gary Smith befriend you?" She asked suddenly, acting as though she was simply interviewing him about school life. "Why did he become friends with the new-kid who he knew would be disrespected by every clique here?"

"I dunno why don't you ask him!?" Jimmy retorted folding his arms over his chest defensively. This reminded Chantelle of Petey just minutes ago, and it also felt as though Jimmy wasn't being completed truthful. She shook this feeling off though and continued with her questions, acting like she was a news reporter.

"I have been hearing rumours that you've been beating kids up, developing a nasty habit of going around and giving out swirlies and wedgies to unsuspecting students. Is that true?" Chantelle asked, almost business-like.

Jimmy shook his head, his angry expression replaced with a smug smile. "Nope, the only kid I beat up was one of those who wear white shirts, and that's because he started on me first…Mind I did knock out a few Greasers…I think that could've been Gary's fault." Jimmy glanced at her, realizing he had said something he really shouldn't have but he brushed it aside and shrugged. "Oh, and I beat some kid up cause he stole that Eunice's chocolates. She was crying about it in the toilets…But apart from that I can't really see where you got your information from."

"So you've got no plans to rule the school?" Chantelle asked with a note of finality in her voice.

"What!? Where the hell do you get your sources from? Of course I don't! This place is a complete and utter dump. Why the hell would I risk getting expelled all over again just to try and befriend those fucked up Nerds? Or those big-headed Preps…Or those dumb-ass Jocks let alone those greased up Greasers!" He exclaimed, his anger seemingly coming back as quickly as it left him. "Jeez."

Chantelle shrugged her shoulders and then turned to leave, but Jimmy stopped her and pulled her back. "Wait…Why did you need information on Gary Smith? What're you planning to do?" He asked her, feeling as though he had earned the right to ask her one question.

"Because there's something not right about him,"

* * *

_**Authors Notes: **I had a bit of trouble with this chapter along the lines of how the plot was going to adapt. You will either like this chapter or hate it -_


	6. Found Out

**Chapter 6 – Found Out**

Since their original meeting, Chantelle and Jimmy Hopkins had developed a somewhat strange friendship, although still didn't spend every second with one another, like Christy was now prone to doing with Ricky. It was a much brighter Monday morning and Chantelle had just been through a very easy and simple lesson of Photography, in which Gary Smith had been suspiciously absent from. Christy had ditched her once again to spend what she called 'precious time' with Ricky leaving her alone. However, a hand rested on her shoulder and she turned round to see Jimmy Hopkins grinning at her.

"You on your own again I see?" He asked, peering around her expecting to see a gaggle of friends waiting for her. "You've been here longer then me and you've only made one friend?"

"No actually, I've only made one friend that I can trust." She replied with a small grin, Jimmy raised an eyebrow and they advanced down the corridor together, narrowly avoiding Trent who was running at break-neck speed from a Prefect who had fallen over due to a pile of small round marbles that had been dropped in the middle of the hall.

"You know…I wouldn't go asking around about Gary again." Jimmy said shortly as they rounded the corner, making sure to avoid the marbles still rolling around on the ground. "Pete's already terrified that Gary's going to find out you spoke to him about his plans and crap, and that certainly won't go down well at Halloween next week." He continued, now descending the steps into the dining hall, which luckily wasn't yet turned into a zoo with flying food and animalistic students.

"There's just something odd about him, and I really do intend to find out what…But nobody apart from you and Pete has even gone as far as sat next to him lessons." She said quietly, scanning the dining hall just in case Gary had decided to eat in there today, but as usual he had skipped it.

"You know, I don't even think I've seen him over the last couple of days." Jimmy replied picking up an apple and biting a large chunk out of it. "I think he's locked himself in his room or something…"

"Teacher's in this school should really consult their register's more." Chantelle said peeling an orange and sitting down at one of the long tables. "At least that way they will realize that he's been truanting."

"Now come on, you really think the teachers even take attendance?" Jimmy exclaimed, shaking his head. "They don't care whether you get a good education or not, just as long as they get their pay at the end of each month. It's like that with most run-down schools." He explained, taking another bite out of his apple.

Chantelle shrugged and ate a segment of her particularly juicy and quite sour orange. Damon had just strutted in holding a rugby ball and eyeing Algernon menacingly. "I guess your right." She added, eating another orange segment before pushing it away with disgust. "And they expect us to starve too…This food is so grotty and nasty."

And before Chantelle could even rise out of her seat, the mud-covered football flew across the room hitting Algernon square in the face, causing his glasses to shatter and break, and his nose to start bleeding uncontrollably. Chantelle watched with her eyes quite wide as he waddled out of the hall yelling and screaming. Edna, the unhygienic dinner-lady came trotting out from the kitchens brandishing a spatula and looking like a crazed mad-man. Damon was howling with deep laughter, and nearly slipped on a thrown banana skin as he started running away from her. He managed to grab one of the younger students by the hair and regaining balance…But making her scream and cry out in pain. The chaos that followed involved…once again…Flying fruit, flying trays and even flying plates. Jimmy leant forward and groped Chantelle's hand, dragging her out of the hall and was just inches away from being smashed in the face by a plate.

They left the school hurriedly and were out on the campus where people were rushing inside to see the madness in the dining hall. "Well I'm gonna have to leave you here…Got some stuff to do in Bullworth Vale. See ya around Chantelle." He said calmly before turning away and throwing the core of his apple at a running Prep.

"Great." Chantelle said with a grimace, staring around the campus. Now she was alone and had absolutely nothing to do.

Walking only a few steps she was quickly interrupted by a face that she had least expected. With the scar clearly visible and thrown into relief by the weak sun-light, Gary Smith stood in front of her, almost leering at her.

"Well, well, well." He began, his smile becoming more malicious and menacing as he progressed with his words. "Been asking about me have you?" He snarled, before closing his fingers around her wrist and dragging her down the steps. Nobody seemed to be around to see the behaviour Gary was showing towards her, seemingly the food fight had alerted every prefect and probably every student to the hall to either break it up or join in themselves.

Trying to free her wrist from the vice-like grip Gary had hold on her, she managed to make him stop and she crashed into him. She looked up into his eyes and saw that they were mingled with both fury and an unreadable emotion. She stared into the cool grey orbs before she was being dragged around again…Towards the boys dormitory.

Heart pounding furiously against her ribcage, Chantelle was forced through the door and into the dark, dank dormitory. She felt his hand push the small of her back and she began to walk. Minutes later she was closed into Gary's room, with Gary glaring at her, still with the fiery burning look glazing his eyes.

"So! Why have you been asking about me eh?" Gary spat, pacing up and down the room, shooting furtive glances occasionally out of the dirty glass window, the only source of light.

"I don't know what you're…" Chantelle began, but she was immediately interrupted by an irate Gary who flung his arms up in the air. "Don't give me that bullshit!" He hissed viciously, stopping in his tracks to stare at her with deepest loathing. "I hear things…I hear everything." He added, changing his sentence halfway through, his eyes never blinking.

"Someone told you…" She said quietly, stepping back away from him, feeling the wooden door at her back. She had never seen anyone act like this before…And it was exceptionally unnerving.

"Look, I…"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR COCK AND BULL STORIES!" Gary roared suddenly, making Chantelle jump a foot in the air. She had certainly not expected him to start yelling at the top of his voice. Gary's face was now streaked with scarlet, not from embarrassment, but from pure rage and annoyance. He looked quite deranged and somehow quite impressive (in a strange way.)

"If…If I hear…" He began, but it seemed as though he couldn't get his words out. He let out a low grunt and began to pace the room again, not bothering to look at her. Chantelle could feel her blood pumping through her body, hear her heart loudly as though someone had magnified the sound…And yet she couldn't tear her eyes away from the figure in front of her.

Once Gary had turned away from her, her hand began to trace along the door, looking for the handle so she could make a quick getaway. She was still terrified that Gary would do something irrational and perhaps stupid…Like hit her? She bit her lip and felt the cold handle just a little above her waist…

But then Gary turned back around and she quickly allowed her arm to drop by her side again. She didn't dare risk that…She would have to wait until he turned his back on her again.

However…She could hear Gary muttering under his breath, some words were more pronounced and slightly louder then others…Stuff like 'plan', 'school', and 'Jimmy', were distinguishable, but then he stopped walking again and she felt her heart drop like a stone. Now she wouldn't be able to make a quick escape without alerting him…Therefore her advantage (and head start) were abolished.

"I don't know who you think you are," He said quite calmly, his personality had literally changed within a few seconds and he now looked reasonably human again. "But if I hear that you are trying to worm information about me out of other people again…" He began, but once again he discovered that he had no idea how to finish off the sentence and instead took to staring at her intently.

"Your going to what? Hit me?" Chantelle suddenly with an outburst of courage, which made her cheeks go slightly pink. Gary raised a single eyebrow; once again he seemed not to blink as much as normal humans did. He gave her a little menacing chuckle.

"There are other things that I can do then hit a silly little interfering girl." He said quietly, she noticed that his hands were clenching and unclenching, probably a way to de-stress or calm himself down. "And I wouldn't want to reveal the secret now would I?" He said, smiling viciously.

Chantelle gazed at him for a few seconds before a weird sensation of recklessness poured over her. She felt like wrenching the door open and running away from him…But then again she had never been a good runner and Gary would probably reach her before she could even get out of the dormitory. Instead she pressed her eyes shut and breathed in deeply, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. At least he was going to hit her…But then again…What else was he talking about?

When she opened her eyes again she saw that Gary was now sat at the end of his bed, staring at the blank wall opposite him, his back was once again towards her and yet again she felt her hand creeping up towards the door-handle.

"Halloween…It's only around the corner." Gary said musingly, Chantelle kept her eyes firmly on the back of her head whilst feeling around for the handle…And grasping it. "So many things to do…So much to…Ah – Plan."

Chantelle clutched the handle firmly and began to turn slowly. Any quicker and she would probably alert Gary to what she was –attempting- to do. Once it had turned fully, she moved a few steps forward so she could open it…However, Gary chose a bad time to move and once he had turned to face her, the calm expression dropped and he suddenly looked furious all over again.

"Did I say you could leave?" He snapped, moving forward and pushing her hard against the door so she fell back against the wood causing it to bang shut. She felt her breath leave her as she collided with the door and she stared at him, wide-eyed and somewhat fearful once again. "Oh no. I'm not finished with you just yet."

Leaning back up against the door, her eyes bored into Gary's, but he quickly broke the eye contact. "You and Jimmy are close now…I've been watching." He said, raising both his eyebrows now as his eyes darted anywhere but at her. "Strange, how you could ask him questions about me and then be his best friend. Your still trying to suck information from him aren't you?" He asked her, and she replied with a quick shake from her head, but he just laughed.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not lying!" She yelled back, finding her voice after finally recovering from the shock of being forcefully pushed into a door. "Me and Jimmy are actually friends…"

"Oh shut up." He hissed, now surveying her with his grey eyes. "You are a silly interfering person…And what happens to people that continue to interfere? They get found out. Like you."

Chantelle watched him, observing how he talked without actually looking at her, how he seemingly clenched his hands into fists and back again, but she did not speak. Just listened.

"And once they get found out, their secret is up…They move on or face the consequences. Do you get me? Do you understand what I'm saying? Stay out of my business, or there will be consequences." He explained.

Chantelle nodded to note that she had understood, and then Gary crossed the room and opened the door, with her moving out of the way quickly just in case he decided to push her around a little more. Without being asked, she made a quick exit from the room…With no intention of dropping the investigation she had on Gary. In fact the whole ordeal had only made her more suspicious. More curious. And then there's the saying 'Curiosity killed the Cat'.

"Then I'll have to be more discreet." Chantelle whispered walking out of the boy's dormitory into the weak and relieving sunlight. She took a deep breath, vowing never to let anything like that happen again.


	7. Halloween

Chapter 7 – Halloween

**Chapter 7 – Halloween**

Bullworth Academy had been closed for the week leading up to Halloween, and the Prefects had been extra vigilante due to the fact that each year, the rates of pranks always increased during Halloween, and this year was definitely no exception.

Even though the Prefects patrolled the campus, keeping their beady eyes peeled for mischief makers, they never caught the culprits unless they happened to drop the joke right in front of their eyes, and this rarely happened. However, on a couple of occasions, when the Nerds were beginning to fight back, the kid known as Algernon had shot several bottle rockets into the vicinity, knocking a Jock unconscious and causing a Prefect to yell in fury and anger as his perfect tailored suit set on fire. And another event, that caused a scrawny kid called Bucky to throw random stink bombs and firecrackers through the windows at Harrington House (which in turn caused the Preps to completely vandalise the Library…They had to pay for it.)

This left people who didn't want to get involved, almost susceptible to the pranks, and Chantelle had even seen some of the younger kids pranking one another. Chantelle, meanwhile, had managed to keep herself out of bother and instead was prone to watching the pranks happen rather then join in herself.

It had only been a few days since she had initially had the shaky meeting with Gary Smith, and she had not seen him since. She came to the conclusion that he only made an appearance when he _really_ had to. This was due to the fact that when he did show his face, nobody had actually seen him. This only unnerved Chantelle, made her slightly more fearful towards Gary. He worked in the shadows, made sure that he wasn't seen around so people just forgot about him. But she wouldn't forget about him so quickly. She doubted she'd ever forget him or the meeting they had.

She had also given up on the investigation she had on Gary Smith, well for the time being anyway. She had other stuff on her mind, like Halloween and all the homework that she had neglected to do (and probably wouldn't bother doing anyway). But in the back of her head, the meeting with Gary slowly ate away at her. She didn't know why she had allowed him to speak to her like he did, she didn't know why she allowed herself to be dragged and pushed around. The only reason she could come up with was because Gary had _terrified _her. His erratic and particularly violent behaviour had shook her up, and she found herself wondering what he could possibly do to her, if she continued on with finding what the asshole was up to.

And so here she sat alone, watching the Jocks play football. She was leant casually against the bleachers, not really paying attention to the practice at all, she was basically here to show her support for Christy who was out cheerleading on the field with Pinky Gauthier and Angie Ng. Chantelle had never been interested in cheerleading, and in fact she wasn't in to doing much sport at all. She was more academically gifted, but this school didn't help with that much either, so in her spare time all she could really do was wander around campus aimlessly…Occasionally talking to someone she knew. Christy was always with Ricky now, and Chantelle found herself thinking how they couldn't find one another annoying, having to see each other every spare second of the day, every week without fail.

Chantelle had also distanced herself from Jimmy Hopkins. She had not intended to, and nor did she want to, but she couldn't help it. Gary's words were seemingly taking a deep effect on her, something that she couldn't stop and it was making her increasingly agitated.

And so she sat here alone, declining the offer to go into Bullworth Vale with Jimmy and instead found herself bored to death watching Christy jump around. She sighed and moved into a more comfortable position. Once Christy had finished cheerleading, she would be getting ready for Halloween. (She had distinctly heard that Christy wasn't even going to bother this year…). Then the proper pranks would happen. Marbles would be thrown around, firecrackers would be planted, bottle rockets would scream around, stink bombs will smash and Volcano 3000's will erupt.

She was off into one of her dream-like states when she was brought back to Earth by Christy who had now joined her, looking very red in the face and windswept. "You must've dozed off or something." Christy was saying, smiling at Chantelle who sat up with a stabbing pain in the lower region of her back.

"Guess I must have…" Chantelle replied thickly, rising steadily to her feet. Practice was most definitely over, the field was completely devoid of any cheerleaders or football players and they seemed to be the only ones around. She yawned and followed Christy out of the stands back to the Girl's Dormitory. The Sun was beginning to set in the sky, causing it to go an almost foreboding deep blood red.

Chantelle had decided to go with the 'Zombie' look, and had invested in make-up, fake blood and torn clothes from Bullworth Vale the previous day to get the look perfect. She got herself ready whilst Christy was off showering, and once the red-head had rejoined her, she was momentarily stunned at the transformation.

"You know…That is some pretty impressive use of makeup." Christy said as she sorted out her own hair. Chantelle finished off the masses of black eyeliner she had used on her pale and green tinged skin, and surveyed herself in the mirror. "Only thing I need to do is mess up the hair a bit." Chantelle replied with a shrug, pulling it roughly out of her hair-band, before flicking it out and causing it to stick out a little more and look like a mess of tangled blonde strands.

"Finished, Christy why aren't you getting changed?" Chantelle asked, watching as Christy leant back on her bed watching Chantelle finish getting ready. Christy let out a loud laugh and shook her head.

"I told you Chan, I'm not getting dressed up this year." Christy said firmly, shrugging her shoulders and drumming her fingers on the bed. Chantelle rolled her eyes. "Why? Is it because you think Ricky will get all embarrassed or something? Or is it because you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of him?" She asked sarcastically, straightening out her skirt, (she was a zombie student).

Christy looked as though she had been hit with something extremely heavy across her face; her expression had changed from amusement to outrage.

"Why did you bring him into this? Ricky had nothing to do with it I just didn't want to act like I was still six years old and get dressed up for stupid Halloween!" She snapped angrily, her face becoming flushed and red, just like Gary's had the other day. She watched with a furrowed brow as Christy continued rambling on, defending Ricky, even though Chantelle had switched off and wasn't paying attention.

She stood up abruptly, causing Christy to stop her flow of rambling and babbling and she turned to her friend. "Keep talking if you wish," She said quietly, running a hand through her tousled hair, messing it up even further. "But I'm not listening. I don't want to hear your droning about Ricky." She said solemnly before turning her back on a shocked Christy and striding from the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Knowing full well that Christy would no doubt be in a foul mood with her for the rest of the week, she didn't bother to go back and apologize, and she wouldn't. She was stubborn like that, generally temperamental and stubborn. She descended the stairs and walked past Pinky Gauthier (dressed as a Princess). She rolled her eyes and passed her quickly without a word, and made a sharp exit nearly walking into Mandy. Mandy pushed Chantelle aside and then she grinned maliciously at her.

"Going out all alone are we? I'm not surprised; I wouldn't be seen dead with you." She said snidely, still smirking. "But I guess the make-up does make you look a little better." She added, folding her arms over her cheerleading outfit. Chantelle pushed her aside. "Nothing makes you look better." Chantelle snapped angrily, watching with some satisfaction as she fell against the wall.

Ignoring the taunts and remarks that Mandy was now shooting at her, she closed the door on her face, and instead turned to see the change in the students. Most of them had decided to dress up for the holiday, and she distinctly saw a Pirate wobble along with a spectacular wooden leg. She smiled and began to walk round herself. Perhaps she could find Jimmy? Surely he would like to get into the spirit of things. He did go to the Vale to buy some prank items.

Christy had told her that the Prefects went to some Halloween party that only the staff and Prefects could go to, so it was basically a no holds barred prank match. She saw a Nerd that was dressed in a bright yellow super hero suit run by throwing marbles helter-skelter behind him, as Damon (dressed in an orange space suit) pelted after him, narrowly avoided the little glass balls. Meanwhile, she saw one of the students dressed up as a Transylvanian Vampire, quickly and discreetly stick a 'Kick-Me' note on the back of one of the non-cliques back, who wasn't in costume.

Minutes later, people were drawn to him, like bees to honey, and were each taking it in turns to give him a good hard kick, until he realized what was going on and tore the letter from his back, glaring around to see who the culprit was, the sign now tightly scrunched up in his hand. She snorted with laughter.

Then she stopped in her tracks. She saw Pete Kowalski in a bright pink bunny suit looking absolutely ridiculous, wearing a very disgruntled expression. Next to him was who she suspected to be Jimmy Hopkins, sporting a full skeleton suit…But next to him was Gary Smith. He was looking extremely calm and serene, almost like he did in most lessons that she had seen him in. He was wearing a German army outfit and didn't even seem to notice her. Jimmy, however, made a beeline straight for her, taking off the skeleton mask as he did so.

"Well Happy Halloween Chantelle, like your costume." He said giving her a quick wink, Pete and Gary were slowly making their way over to her. Pete kept glancing nervously over at Gary who was still looking reasonably calm, although a red flush was beginning to creep up his tanned face.

"Lemme guess. You're an undead Zombie student?" He said smirking at her as he looked her up and down. Chantelle applauded him. "Right in one," She said quietly, still trying to focus her attention on Gary who wasn't looking directly back.

"You guys going to join in on the 'fun'?" She asked as she saw a stink bomb come flying across them, hitting the Kick-Me sign boy straight in the head. She amused herself by watching him stumble, cross-eyed and confused before he fell over. Jimmy howled with laughter.

"Of course we are! We've got quite a few pranks up our sleeves…Including one with the teachers and prefects who are enjoying their little party inside." He whispered, smirking and giving her another wink.

"Oh yeah…What does that involve exactly?" Chantelle asked, she was watching Pete who was still looking remarkably uncomfortable and she had an idea that it wasn't the costume that was making him look at Gary like that. She had a feeling that Petey had grassed her up…

"Well to tell you that would ruin the surprise." Jimmy responded with relish, he was now wearing a very broad grin before his face disappeared underneath the skeleton mask once again. "You wanna tag along? You can watch us prank some stupid kids…I really wanna get that big jock…You know his name, Damon?"

Petey made a little squeaking noise, but Jimmy just ignored him. "He's probably been the main figure to play pranks on…C'mon; I bought some firecrackers, stink bombs and marbles for today. I'm not gonna let 'em go to waste." And with the enthusiasm that followed this, Chantelle followed them as Jimmy went on a hunt for Damon. She didn't want to miss the pranks and the fun, but then again she didn't want to be in such close vicinity to a crazy sociopath, who had her literally pinned up against the wall just days ago.

Then something clicked in her mind. She remembered something that Gary Smith had revealed to her on the first proper day at Bullworth Academy. She mulled it over in her head for a few seconds then glanced over her shoulder at him.

"_ADD primarily…"_

You needed medication to calm the effects of ADD. It did different things to different people, caused paranoia, limited concentration, distractibility and procrastination. Now that it came down to it…Chantelle wondered whether the fact that Gary had stopped taking the pills could have awoken this violent and erratic behaviour. Perhaps it caused him to mutter under his breath, to cause the restlessness she had witnessed.

"Chantelle, what're you doing?"

Jimmy's voiced seemed quite distant, and she realized that she had stopped walking and was basically staring down at the ground as though it was somewhat interesting. She looked up at Jimmy who was several yards ahead of her. "Nothing, I was just…Erm, thinking." She said quickly, glancing at Gary who was watching her closely, the scarred eyebrow raised.

"Well think later. It's time for fun," Jimmy said as he finally found the person he was looking for. Damon stood out from the crowd due to the fact that he was wearing bright orange. She watched as Jimmy and Gary quietly made arrangements, before they both bombarded him with stink bombs and firecrackers.

The Nerds quickly joined in, aiming at random students with their Spud Guns and Bottle Rocket Launchers, causing an explosion of noise and thick smoke to consume the area around them. Stink Bombs were now being thrown, generating a huge blanket of deep green mist to hang about strongly smelling of rotten eggs…And speaking off eggs, Preps were now gathering around, throwing them left right and centre. A few more students, including members from the Greasers and the Bullies, were now joining in, throwing round marbles into the scuffle of students.

Explosions of more firecrackers filled the vicinity, and Chantelle just managed to move out of the way as Damon streaked past her, roaring at the top of his voice as he chased Algernon who had done most of the damage with two bottle rocket launchers, one in each hand.

Petey had stood back and allowed the commotion to occur without actually getting involved himself. However, he was now covered in egg yolk; it was dripping off his bunny ears. Gary's suit was singed and his hat had fallen off in the scuffle, and Jimmy came out of it looking like he'd been graffitied. The white of the bones were now mixed with the green substance in stink bombs, and splattered with egg. The firecrackers had left trails of black powder, and had singed areas of his costume, and the bottle rockets had caused an explosion of colour that covered the whole of his back.

"That was better then expected. Didn't think the other cliques would join in…Mind, it was pretty fun." Jimmy said, glancing down at himself and laughing. "Now…If you don't mind Chantelle, me, Gary and Petey have got a huge prank to complete. I wouldn't tag along unless you want to get into bother."

Chantelle stayed where she was as the three of them walked away, still eyeing them. Gary had stopped in his tracks and was now walking steadily back over to her. She felt her heart beat rise a little…Surely he couldn't do or say anything now…Not with so many students looking on. It wasn't like him…If definitely wasn't like him.

Gary was now standing in front of her, but he did not say anything to her, he simply leant over and picked up his hat that had fell off in the huge prank fight. He straightened back up and looked directly at her; his cold grey eyes were full of a different emotion this time. It was not rage, or fury…But that of someone who had just made a great discovery, someone who had finally been given a chance to start something new, to think once more.

She watched his retreating back as the three of them went to do their 'big prank', and couldn't help but feel unsettled once more. That was one of the scariest looks she had ever seen…Chantelle guessed that Gary had forgotten to take his tablets for ADD the other day and his mind began to function properly once again…Began to think logically. That was what drove him to find her, Petey had told him and he wanted to know why she was asking about him.

And, if Chantelle didn't know any better, the sociopath had now stopped taking the pills completely. The fiery emotion he had burning in his eyes was that of a person who felt freedom. Free from taking the pills that kept him calm and serene…He had had a taste of what it felt like and he liked it.

And now that he was free from the medication, he would start _thinking_ again. He would start _planning_. Naturally, Chantelle didn't know this…She just thought that it was going to bring a violent side of Gary back out into the open…She still had no idea what Gary Smith was like without his medication. She had not received the full blow, and even as she walked back to the girl's dormitory, she knew that there was more to come. And she didn't like it. Not one bit.


	8. Retaliation

**Chapter 8 – Retaliation**

Halloween had passed and classes had begun once again…Not that it greeted much enthusiasm from the students, they didn't even care. It seemed that after the holidays people rarely even turned up for classes. Chantelle and Christy however, stuck to the rules and continued on with their education, or at least what they thought was in the syllabus. She was sure that what their Chemistry teacher, Mr. Watts was teaching them, had nothing to do with Science at all and she was even questioning why she was still at Bullworth Academy.

Christy had finally forgiven her for being all sarcastic with her on Halloween and was now being fine and dandy, but perhaps a little to cheerful for Chantelle. On several occasions she had found herself wondering whether or not Christy was hiding something from her, because she had seen Christy often staring into the distance with a blank expression on her face…And each time, Christy would shake it off and continue with her oddly happy behaviour. Meanwhile, this new attitude seemed to have brightened Ricky up by any means, he was now giving her flowers and chocolates almost everyday and even went as far as graffitiying her name all over the Greasers territory (this was definitely not greeted with enthusiasm from his fellow Greasers, and Chantelle had seen him sporting a black eye the day after.)

She had also not seen Gary Smith since Halloween. Not that this had surprised her much. She had given up on him now; she didn't want anything to do with him. The fact that he had pinned her up against the wall, forced her around and was probably bouncing off the walls from ADD didn't appeal to her, and she discovered that she had other things to think about rather then him. It seemed as though her mind was basically brimmed with worry nowadays.

She was fearing for Christy's sanity, trying to keep out of the Queen Bitch, Mandy's way, trying to avoid Mr. Burton (which seemed to be easier said then done…He was everywhere and had seemed to take an almost obsessive liking towards her,) and was also attempting to juggle her social life whilst trying to figure out what the hell was up with Christy.

Once again, Jimmy had asked her to Bullworth Vale, and she had agreed…And so Chantelle found herself out on the pier waiting for him. It wasn't a particularly nice day, a definite sign that winter was on its way. The wind was reasonably strong and cold, and there wasn't a single bit of blue sky, it was completely covered with heavy grey clouds that could only signal rain. The cold grey depths of the sea were also remarkably violent, with the waves crashing down on each other, similarly reflecting the dull sky above it.

Staring out at the water seemed to reflect her mood. She was having a down day…Or whatever people called it. She didn't want to smile, she didn't want to be in the company of other people, but Jimmy had asked her so many times now that she felt a little heartless to reject him once again. So here she sat, shivering from the chilling wind, sporting a thick coat, a black scarf and matching gloves, waiting for Hopkins.

"Finally got you to come as he?"

Chantelle turned her head slowly, obviously realizing that Jimmy was still not here, he had probably sent this guy to come and tell her he was in detention or something stupid like that. She noticed him as being Pete Kowalski, the kid she had interrogated about Gary, the kid who had been dressed up in a pink Bunny suit for Halloween, and the kid she suspected had told Gary Smith everything about the interrogation. She did not speak to him, but turned her head sharply away from him and glared at the sea once again.

"He sent me to come tell you…" Petey started, but Chantelle quickly cleared her throat and cut across him before he could finish his sentence.

"That he can't make it, that's he's sorry and that hopefully we could do this day? Yeah yeah, I get the god damn picture." She snapped irritably, folding her arms over her chest and realising that it was a stupid idea to have agreed to come in the first place.

Petey raised his eyebrows, but he shook his head (not that Chantelle could see of course), and added hastily, "No, he's just running late. He had some business to sort out with some of those bullies." He said timidly, shivering from the biting wind. She wasn't really surprised to see him shuddering; he was only wearing a pink shirt underneath a Bullworth vest.

Chantelle's cheeks did indeed flush a light pink but she shrugged and leant back on the bench, flexing her fingers slightly. "You were the one who told Gary I was asking about him weren't you?" She said suddenly, taking him by surprise. Petey nervously looked around him as though expecting Gary to just burst out from behind the dustbin or something.

"You grassed me up eh? Think you're all tough and manly for grassing up a girl? Thought that it'd be wise to go running to Gary and say that a mean little girl cornered you in school and started making insinuations about him?" She added mockingly, now rising to her feet and turning to look at him properly.

"N…nn…No?" He said hesitantly, staring anywhere but directly in her eyes. She shook her loose blonde hair, getting increasingly irate and annoyed as he stood cowering against her gaze. Her temper was beginning to bubble to the surface and she was pretty sure that if Jimmy didn't pop up soon, or unless Petey grew some backbone, she would be yelling and screaming at the top of her voice with every bottled up feeling blurted out.

"Don't even bother lying to me you stupid boy!" She whispered furiously through gritted teeth, her gloved hands balling into fists. Petey's eyes flickered over at her, and she felt a surge of sympathy for him…The look in his eyes, the fear? Terror?

She bit her lip and then turned her back on him once again, sitting heavily on the bench. What had struck her was how much she was forcefully reminded of Gary Smith, and how she had felt when she was in a similar position as he was.

"Just go," She said quietly, folding her arms back over her chest, eyes dropping down to the steely cold depths of the sea once again. She heard Petey move away from her quickly, his footsteps beginning to fade away. She was once again, alone.

As the minutes dragged by, her patience was beginning to slip away along with it. She glanced down at her watch and saw that it now read 13:31. She had been waiting for Hopkins for at least fifteen minutes, and the meeting with Petey had been precisely five minutes ago.

Rolling her eyes she got to her feet and took off down the pier. She didn't exactly know why Jimmy hadn't turned up, since Petey had gave her a less then impressive account on what he was doing..._'He had some business to sort out with some of those bullies._'

Well that could be anything. For all she know, Jimmy could be in some hard-knock fight with them whilst people jeered and shouted. This thought lasted until the she reached the end of the pier where she turned right and stormed off towards the school.

She was in such a foul mood that she yelled at the top of her voice at Angie Ng for standing in her way whilst she was trying to get into the school and made her run away, tears streaming down her face. This did nothing to lighten her mood, and she felt even more depressed. She considered where to go for a few seconds, knowing that the awfully cheerful Christy would be in their dorm room probably reminiscing about Ricky…Or maybe even having Ricky in the room with her, she decided against going there and instead found the library a pretty inviting place.

Only the nerds went there, and they barely bothered her anymore. She had had a very memorable moment that involved Algernon and his weak bladder, but apart from that nothing much happened in there…And so she went, still in a rage, still in a foul mood she entered the library and felt it's silence press against her ears. She took a deep soothing breath and began to walk between the shelves, not looking for anything in particular. As she guessed, the only people in there were a few of the nerds, including Algernon who had immediately stopped speaking to Bucky and was watching her with an embarrassed expression on his face.

Pulling out some random leather bound book, she walked over to a desk that was a fair distance away form anyone else and studied it, '_Pranks for Dummies.'_

She stared at the title for a few seconds, re-reading it a few times (A prank book in a school library!) before she opened it and began to read, aware that Algernon was still staring over at her which was becoming increasingly annoying. Once again, her temper was being tested. She seemed to be a ticking time bomb today, ready to go off at anytime. However, the book seemed to be doing something to get her aggressive mood to abate.

It was full of ingredients and instructions on how to make Stink Bombs, Firecrackers, Itching Powder and even Bottle Rockets. Each page held a different illustration, each with vivid and bright colours. She even managed to crack a smile as she read a page entitled 'The Perfect Marbles', which held a full page dedicated to photos of people slipping comedic like on the marbles and landing in some painful positions (one even did the splits).

"Having fun…?"

She turned rapidly to see Gary Smith staring down at her, his face was calm, almost serene and he was even managing a decent, nearly meaningful smile. Her cerulean eyes widened and she closed the book with a snap. Gary's eyes flicked to the book, then back to her.

"What!?" Chantelle asked rudely, glaring at him.

The scarred eyebrow raised and his smile had completely vanished.

"I asked…Are you having fun?" He added cynically, sitting down opposite her. "I didn't think you were the type to play pranks, take Halloween for instance." He said sneering at her. Chantelle didn't answer; she was staring at Gary as though he was some sort of television programme. Gary had taken the book himself and was flicking through it as though it somehow interested him. Chantelle didn't know why he had bothered, she believed him to know every trick in the book anyway.

"You don't want to talk to me?"

Chantelle glared at him, not daring to break eye contact. Hatred was pulsing up inside her but she didn't dare do anything. Not yet. Gary was staring intensely back, his eyes never wavering.

Once again, even past the cold grey of his eyes she could see the sense of longing freedom, the unnerving sight of someone who had finally cut loose from something that had been weighing them down for a long time.

"Come on Chantelle, you had plenty to say to little Petey this afternoon, surely you've got something to say to me." Gary said slyly, to which Chantelle stared at him blankly, not sure what to say…Or think. "And you'll probably have words with Jimmy too. How does it feel being stood up at Bullworth Vale when he was the one who asked you in the first place?" He added, his tone was harsh and his nasty grin was becoming more pronounced. It was like he was _enjoying_ doing this to her.

"You know what Gary," Chantelle said viciously, snatching the book out of his hands, her eyes burning with severe hatred. "I don't give a SHIT what you think!" She yelled, her voice reverberating around the now empty library (the nerds had scuttled out once Gary had entered). She leapt to her feet and with as much strength as she could muster, she launched the book at Gary who rolled out of his chair to avoid the heavy volume connecting with his delicate skull.

He scrambled hastily to his feet, the sneer had vanished and he was momentarily shocked by what she had done. No doubt he was under the impression that she was weak and had no backbone…Well he was wrong and she was going to prove it. She was definitely no Peter Kowalski.

"You think you can push ME around! You think you can threaten and intimidate me!" She shrieked, her anger now pouring out like a steam from a kettle. She grasped for anything in sight and managed to grab another heavy book from the librarian's desk, before hurling it at the sociopath. This shot was a near hit, and Gary just narrowly avoided it hitting him straight in the face by ducking behind a bookshelf.

Even though Chantelle had completely lost all sense of control, Gary couldn't help but smirk from behind the bookshelf. He was breathing heavily, and he was still fairly shocked he could admit that…But he just couldn't help the grin that was spreading across his face. If he decided to face her with a smirk like that she would probably tip the whole bookcase on him.

Still seething, Chantelle refrained from tossing anymore books, since there were already pages strewn across the room, and more were still taking their time floating back down to the floor. Her chest was still heaving; blood still pumping furiously from the burst of adrenaline, but her rage was now subsiding. She gazed around, looking for a sign of where Gary had disappeared off to. After several minutes the library was exceptionally quiet, and it was pressing hard on her ears. It was as though somebody had but her in a soundproof box.

Then when Gary found it safe to re-merge, he stepped out from behind the bookshelf. He had managed to control his smirk and instead he had replaced it with a stare of disbelief. For awhile, the both of them just stared each other like it was some sort of competition. Don't blink or you'll lose...

"I was wondering when you were going to snap." He said quietly, but his voice seemed to be magnified. "It took awhile, but we got there didn't we."

Chantelle found these comments so unrelated to what just happened, she just stood there staring at him…Again. He didn't ever cease to amaze her, not even when he had just had books lobbed at him.

"Well I hope you do understand now, Chantelle." He said, studying his fingernails now. He had broken the eye contact first and it appeared as though he wasn't going to look up at her anytime soon. "The way you were so wrapped up in emotion, trying your best to try and bottle up your rage and worry, to trap your confusion and fear. Do you know what that reminds me of Chantelle? Me."

Brow furrowed, she did not speak but continued to listen to him. He was being calm once again, and yet he did not look up…Just continued staring down at his hand.

"The months I've spent with that medication inside me, it made me feel inhuman. I was more like an empty shell. It wasn't me in there…So I stopped taking them and I began to _feel_ again. I began to _think_ again. It was a truly wonderful feeling…But then the paranoia began, my feelings were all mixed up. At times I didn't even know what I was feeling." He said, now gazing absent-mindedly around the library, looking anywhere but at her. "I was in a constant state of confusion, and that day when I heard you asking questions about me something snapped. Everything that I felt switched straight to anger and annoyance, and when I saw you outside the doors alone it was a too perfect opportunity to miss. I seized you, I needed to do something to express the bottled up feelings and I did the only way I could. I yelled it out just like you did, I threw _you_ around to feel in control, like you did with the books."

Chantelle's lips were becoming a thin straight line, as she continued listening. No, she was NOTHING like him. How could he even assume something like that? She stared at him through a glassy gaze.

"Then afterwards…My head was clear, I could think normally again, I wasn't dogged down by the stupid things you call emotion. I promised myself I would never let that happen again. And you know what Chantelle? It hasn't. Nope, because I've got my own therapy…"

By this time, he had made eye contact once again and she saw that he was smirking; it was more of a sinister, sadistic smile and it made her increasingly uncomfortable.

"Being in control feels good doesn't it?" He asked her, taking a step closer to her. She instantly took one back, feeling the intimidation creeping up on her again.

_No. Don't let him get to you…Don't let him get to you Chantelle…_

"Oh yes…Indeed it does." He continued without bothering to wait for a reply that Chantelle seemed incapable of giving. "It starts with being in control of a few idiots, but it spreads as quickly as a new incurable disease. It's exactly what's going to happen here Chantelle. Soon enough I'll be in control of this shit-hole,"

Chantelle raised an eyebrow, and it dawned on her just how correct she had been. He did have plans to take control over the school, to be classed 'The King', and she also realised that Jimmy Hopkins was his pathway to being crowned the King.

"Jimmy…You're using him aren't you? Using him as your little lap-dog, training him up to fight your battles and raise you up through the ranks." She said, aware that her throat was remarkably dry. "How do you know I won't just go and tell him what you're up to eh? How do you know I won't tell him everything you told me you crazy asshole!"

Gary laughed, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. He stepped forward once again, but this time Chantelle stood her ground and continued glaring at him with a stony expression.

"You won't, because of what James has done to you today…And besides, he won't believe you. Why else would the guy have stood you up? He made a mistake in ever befriending you and I'm pretty sure I made that clear." He said, raising his scarred eyebrow, "He preferred doing a little job for me, then going to the Vale with you."

This stabbed at Chantelle; it felt as though a white-hot knife had been wedged permanently in her ribs. She kept her face as emotionless as possible, but realised that it was becoming harder and harder. What a complete bastard! He was enjoying this. Enjoying the torment and pain he was causing her…And yet she couldn't find anything witty to say, nothing smart floated into her mind so she stood staring transfixed at him, as he took a deep breath.

"I'll give you a spot of advice Chantelle," He started, straightening himself out and walking so he was directly in front of her. She bit her lip as he leant ever closer, before he whispered delicately in her ear, "You don't need people like Jimmy…I'm what you want, and you know it."

Shivers ran down her spine as he talked in that quiet, delicate whisper. It was a sound that was very strange coming from Gary, an almost caring tone. He leant away from her, gave her one last glance before striding past her and making a sharp exit from the library, closing the door with a short snap.

Still feeling uneasy, she sank into the nearest chair, staring at the torn pages of the library books she had thrown across the room; heart beating fast like she had ran a marathon. She pressed the palms of her hands hard against her eyes, noticing that her head was throbbing painfully now. She hadn't a clue at what the last part meant, all she could feel was immense hatred for Gary Smith…And yet she felt herself wondering why she was so interested in him, why she had been interested in him from the moment she had laid eyes on him.

Sighing, she opened her tired blue eyes and stared at the ceiling. Maybe he had a motive for being such a cruel asshole. Perhaps it was because he was terrified of getting close to people, and yet he had revealed some of his feelings to her. Why had he even bothered?

She had heard of people bullying the ones that they liked, she had heard of people becoming distant because they were afraid of commitment…But Gary Smith was something else, like a particularly difficult puzzle that seemed impossible to solve, and yet as Chantelle fell into an almost trance-like state, she couldn't help but feel something for him that was completely different to hate.****

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_Read and Review as always...Comments on the plot so far would be great Update coming soon._


	9. Christy and the Carnival

**Chapter 9 – Christy and the Carnival**

"Chantelle, are you even listening to me?" Christy called out in a brisk and annoyed tone, staring at her friend with concerned eyes. Chantelle blinked and then turned her head to see the fiery red-head sat on the end of her bed, arms folded over her pink pyjamas and looking irritated. "What's up with you? You've been all weird and distant for like the last three or four days."

"There's nothing wrong, really." Chantelle replied, looking at the expression on Christy's face. "Honestly, I'm just a little puffed out from the classes and stuff…I mean dissecting things isn't my strong point." She added, still looking directly at Christy to try and make her accept her answer. It was true though, in their last Biology class, the students had to dissect a heart and Chantelle had ran from the classroom with a green-tinged face.

"So that's it is it? School's getting you down so you feel as though you don't have to listen to me…Well anyway," She added hastily, trying to cram in everything in one sentence whilst she had the attention of her friend. "I was talking about the Carnival. We haven't been yet and I promised you that we'd go in the first week and I know things popped up and stuff, but we can go now." She said, in the same practised cheerful voice. She had been trying to figure out what was up with her but she still hadn't had much success. The only things she had been able to discover is the fact that the talking in her sleep was becoming more and more common and she often repeated words such as 'depression' and 'parents'. This did absolutely nothing to relax Chantelle, it only made things worse, but she had not yet been able to slip the problem in with their usual conversations.

"Yeah sure, why not I've got nothing better to do," Chantelle muttered in reply, leaning back and watching the Sun filter through the curtains. It was around 10:45am on a Saturday morning, and even though the Sun was high in the sky, it wasn't necessarily warm. "Listen Christy, I heard you talking in your sleep last night and probably ever other night since I've been here."

It was a risky decision to take, but Chantelle had made up her mind and instead of trying to subtle she decided to just come right out and say it. Christy looked slightly perturbed by the conversation change and the smile that had just arrived on her face, quickly vanished.

"And I want to know what's going on." Chantelle continued shortly, mirroring Christy's posture and folding her arms over her powdery-blue pj's.

"It's probably just some random dream you know, people talk in their sleep when it's a dream." Christy replied nervously, Chantelle had noticed that she had straightened up slightly and looked remarkably tense.

"Not if you keep repeating the same words over and over again each night, Christy just tell me what's wrong. I'm your friend and I'm worried about you for Christ's sake!"

Christy's face was literally drained of colour now and she was staring at Chantelle through disturbed eyes. She was gripping her bed-sheets tightly between her fingers. She used one hand to quickly brush aside her loose hair before clearing her throat dramatically.

"Well…It's just that before I came back to Bullworth I overhead my parents speaking to one another." She started, looking down at the carpeted floor. "They were talking about me and how they thought I was failing at school." Her tone was dropping now and Chantelle leaned forward to make sure she could hear her. "They said they were ashamed of me, and that I would get nowhere in life…They didn't realise I was standing outside the door."

Chantelle was watching Christy, her expression was changing from concern to sympathy, and she could see tears welling up behind the green orbs and knew that soon Christy wouldn't be able to control them or stop them from falling.

"They were saying all this bad stuff Chantelle, about how I've brought shame on the family, how I've ruined my chances of becoming a Lawyer like they are!" She shrieked, pulling her bed-sheets in rage, whilst tears splashed down her cheeks. "They hate me! THEY HATE ME!" She yelled, throwing herself into her pillow and sobbing uncontrollably into the material. It muffled the sound slightly but Chantelle could still hear her voice ringing painfully in her ears.

Getting out of bed she quickly moved towards the crying Christy and patted her gently on the back. "C'mon Christy, they don't hate you." She said in what she believed to be a consoling tone. "They just want you to do well…Believe me they should have chosen a better school." She muttered the second part in an undertone but continued patting her back gently to give her some sort of comfort.

"They don't hate me!" Christy shrieked, sitting up so fast that she nearly knocked Chantelle of the end of her bed. Regaining balance Chantelle stared up in to the tear-stained face of Christy. "Then why don't they bother writing to me anymore? Or calling…Why don't they want me to come home for Christmas? I'm just a huge failure to them!" She yelled as several more tears fell from the red puffy eyes.

Chantelle looked away from her as she felt a rising sensation in the pit of her stomach. She cleared her throat and tried once again to console her friend but it was taking no effect. However, something did click inside Chantelle's head, and it was the vision of Ricky coming to Christy each day with chocolates or flowers. He was no doubt trying to cheer Christy up, trying to console her and each day this happened Chantelle was left in the dark. Christy had told only Ricky, and this thought seemed to pierce through Chantelle quite painfully. Then again, she wasn't surprised. She hadn't been a very good friend to her after all.

"Christy…Just let it all out." Chantelle said softly, patting her friend gently on the back as she sobbed uncontrollably into her pillow. There was no point into telling her that everything was going to be ok, and that she should stop crying because she already knew that it was going to be ignored completely. "Just let everything out and you'll feel better."

Christy's sobs began to subside into loud sniffs and the occasional hiccup as Christy raised her head from her pillow and turned her blood-shot eyes to Chantelle. "You know what else…All that pain I felt, it made me want to do something stupid and reckless, like setting fire to school…Or throwing myself off the top of the gym just to end it all."

This last part took Chantelle by complete surprise and she looked both shocked and horrified by the revelation. She didn't know it was that serious and she mentally kicked herself for being such a bitch to her in the past. "Oh…God Christy I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Christy shook her head quickly and looked out of the window at the weak sunlight. "It's not your fault, Chantelle." She said hollowly, her voice was hoarse from the sever crying but she looked in control of the tears now and she continued looking blankly out the window. "Ricky was here for me, he could sense something was wrong with me and he pleaded and pleaded for me to tell him. So I did." She said shortly, her throat was obviously making it difficult to talk. "He made me see sense and stopped me from doing something stupid."

Still looking at Christy in disbelief she gave her friend a brief and quick hug, "Christy, listen to me. I'll always be here for you ok; no matter what we go through I'm here for you and I will consider you my best friend through thick and thin." Chantelle began, staring her friend straight into her eyes and not wavering. "I don't want you to ever think like that again, remember that you have a friend in me, and probably Angie and even Pinky…You have a brilliant boyfriend that cares for you more then anything in the world, somebody who would do anything for you, and just imagine what you would leave if you were to go."

Christy sniffed loudly again and she nodded slowly as she rubbed her already puffy eyes. She still looked immensely upset, but something in Chantelle's words had obviously soothed her, as she looked a little calmer and even a little happier. Well, just a bit.

"I need to get myself ready," Christy said thickly, raising steadily to her feet and beginning to sort herself out. "Meeting Ricky in fifteen minutes," She added hastily, picking out some clothes.

Feeling as though things were perhaps a little more normal, Chantelle changed herself into some casual wear, sorted her hair and then even went along with Christy as she walked to meet Ricky at New Coventry. She didn't stay too long and preferred not invade on their privacy and instead went to head back up to the school, promising to meet them later on at the Carnival.

As she passing the boarded up motel, she saw Jimmy Hopkins cycling towards her. She tried to ignore his yelling as he called out for her but it was a little difficult when he was pulled up by the side of her and was trying to talk to her.

"Chantelle...Chantelle I've been trying to find you. I heard of Angie that you came down her with Christy. Look I need to explain about the Vale the other day." Jimmy was now pushing his bike rather then riding it, whilst Chantelle continued to stare ahead of her, jaw set.

"I got into a spot of bother with some of those bullies; you know Trent and his lot." He said scratching the back of his head as he walked on along side her. "Well they got a little rough and started throwing punches and stuff, so I had to teach them a lesson…Then when I got to the pier you had already gone. I thought Petey hadn't bothered to tell you but he said he definitely talked to you and told you I was running a little late."

"Were you expecting me to wait there alone, in the freezing cold, whilst you were off rendezvousing with some bullies?" Chantelle asked raising an eyebrow and glancing over at the boy.

"Well actually, no. Guess I picked a wrong time to go and pick a fight huh?" He said with a quick sigh. He did seem sorry for not showing up, but Chantelle continued staring ahead mulling over some of the things Gary had said, and wondering vaguely whether she should tell Jimmy.

"Did Gary Smith talk to you about me?" She asked suddenly, turning to face him now. Her face was full of curiosity now, and Jimmy frowned slightly at the question. "Don't take offence or anything, but he said you were a raving lunatic who has a criminal record for vandalism and that you were expelled from your last school for pushing a student down the stairs."

Once again, Chantelle stared at Hopkins in disbelief just like she had done to Christy. "What the hell…He said that!?" She said, and she couldn't help but laugh. It was a real laugh, not a falsely cheerful one that she had been accustomed to hearing from Christy, but a real giggle. "Well he's really lacking in the creative department isn't he…What was it? Attempted murder or something," She said, still giggling.

Jimmy snorted with laughter and shrugged. "I dunno, he obviously must've seen us together and tried to make you think you were some sort of bad influence on me, and that you were a bad person. I just agreed that I wouldn't talk to you again to get him off my back." He added still smiling genuinely at her. Chantelle nodded as they crossed the bridge.

"It's a bit strange that he started a rumour about a girl though." Jimmy said, as their laughter died away. "I mean, it's not the sort of thing boys do, it's usually to spread some discord between the cliques."

Chantelle didn't answer straight away, the only thing she was recalling now, was hers and Gary's meeting in the library.

"_You don't need people like Jimmy…I'm what you want, and you know it."_

"Yeah I guess it is weird." She said untruthfully. It was obvious that he had spread the rumours about her to Jimmy, so that they didn't meet up like this anymore, and so she didn't get chance to tell him Gary's true plans that he had revealed to her in the library.

"I don't really want to dwell on the subject of Gary Smith right about now," Chantelle walked slowly on the pavement as the school loomed closer. "I was wondering if you were going to the Carnival tonight. Me, Christy and Ricky are going so I was just thinking the more the merrier."

At least that way she wouldn't have to watch Christy and Ricky smooching all night, and Christy could also make a new friend out of Hopkins too. Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not. Nothing better to do in this shit hole is there." He said grinning. "And I'll come this time. I'll make sure of it."

_Later that Day_

"Oh come on Chantelle, even a blind-man could come closer to the target then you," Christy giggled as she watched her friend try and aim for the red target to dunk the man into the freezing water. Chantelle turned her head towards Christy and was wearing her own smile. "It's not my fault I can't aim too well, I've told you; I'm not very gifted with sports and stuff."

It was her third and final ball. The other two she had thrown had been far off the target. Ricky and Jimmy stood talking to one another like civilised students even though Ricky belonged to the Greasers clique, and now they were both cracking light-hearted jokes at Chantelle's poor aim.

"Ok, I tell you what. If I hit this target with this third ball, you have to pay for me for the rest of the night, even if it means paying for me to go on the Go-Karts for sixty times."

"Ya got yourself a deal," Ricky replied, whilst Christy giggled at the side of him. Chantelle smirked and leaned forward slightly, predicting the distance that was from her to the target. She pulled her arm back and then pushed it forward with enough strength for it to whiz forward and hit the target directly. The man who was mocking Chantelle cursed loudly and fell straight into the chilly water. He gargled and splashed around, whilst Chantelle and Christy stared laughing at the expression on both Ricky and Jimmy's faces.

"Oh now come on!" Jimmy said, a smile twitching at the sides of his mouth. "That was such a fluke; I bet you were pretending to be a bad thrower just so you could make that bet! I'm guessing you were thinking about it all day too."

Shaking her head, Chantelle managed to suppress her giggles, "I made the deal, you agreed to it…And I'm thinking that I want to ride the rollercoaster, so cough up boys." She said smirking before striding towards the ticket booth with Christy by her side.

The boys reluctantly followed, digging out dollars as they walked. "Looks like were gonna have to share the costs all night mate." Jimmy said to Ricky as they pushed the dollars into Chantelle's outstretched hand.

"You think I'd be that harsh and make you pay for me _all_ night! Gosh, you don't know me at all. You can pay for this and that's it." She said, raising her eyebrow and giving her money to the grumpy man on the other side of the glass. Once the four of them had paid, they boarded the rollercoaster, with Jimmy and Chantelle sitting together, and Ricky and Christy sitting behind.

"Hold on kids coz' it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" Ricky roared as the rollercoaster rumbled and vibrated into life. Looking ahead, Chantelle saw the back of Damon's head, the Jock who Gary and Jimmy had bombarded with prank items, and also the person who was always in a food-fight…Or a fight.

The ride was a twisting, looping, fast-paced event with plenty of screaming from the girls and whooping from the boys. Damon had even raised his hands into the air as they went through the loop. Once the four of them were standing back on ground again all looking thoroughly wind-swept but cheerful, Christy exclaimed loudly, "That was BLOODY brilliant! I can't say how much I missed going on that squeaky and probably unsafe rollercoaster."

"Well if you are going to go back on that I think I'll give it a miss," Chantelle's responded. She was never really good with rollercoaster's and she didn't think that was going to improve when it was practical the most unsafe rollercoaster she had ever seen. The other three decided to ride it once again, leaving Chantelle standing outside the barrier, holding Christy's coat and staring around to see who else had popped along.

She saw Pinky Gauthier standing with a couple of Preps, each one of them were staring over at Hal, the big Greaser, who was waiting to go on to the go-karts. She had an idea that they weren't just admiring his new leather jacket either since one of them was balling up his fists.

Now that she was on her own, she had slowly slipped in to thought. She had been so immersed in what was going on with Christy and the Carnival that she hadn't been able to look back on what happened between her and Gary four days ago even if she had spent the last three days completely immobilised by it. Once again, it appeared to Chantelle that Gary had done another disappearing act, and that Jimmy Hopkins was still doing his dirty work and she didn't have the heart to tell him that he was being used.

Or was it the fact that Gary's words had a true impact on her, was she keeping the fact that Jimmy was a stepping stone for Gary to reach the top of the school, a secret because she what Gary had said was true, that she _did_ want him after all he had put her through?

Chantelle hastily shook her head. No, that couldn't possibly be it, she still hated the sociopath for ragging her around like a doll, for threatening her and for trying to split the friendship between her and Jimmy up…But was that even hate?

_Hate's a powerful word; you can't hate someone for doing trivial stuff like that…_

Leaning against the side of the ticket barrier she stared down at the ground, trying to sort her feelings out, but what with everything else laying heavily on her brain, Christy's face kept bumping in to her thoughts, the face with red puffy eyes and tears streaming and sliding down her cheeks.

"Fuck you Gary." Chantelle said suddenly, standing up straight when she saw Jimmy, Ricky and Christy approaching looking entertained and exceptionally cheerful. Christy is the person who needed to be helped, Chantelle's best friend was the one who needed the support and the company…Not him.

* * *

_I did need to sort of elaborate more on Christy on this chapter. It was a weird/often fun chapter to write. No Gary on this one, he's going to be back in full swing in the next chapter when Chantelle believe's he's gone and left her alone for awhile like he's prone to do. Reviews are appreciated as usual._


	10. Deceived

**Chapter 10 – Deceived **

Saturday gently drifted in to a calm but lazy Sunday and Chantelle was once again sat in the library surrounded by several books that she hadn't even touched. She was staring at the dusty volumes stacked up in front of her and realised that after all the searching she had done to find them, she wasn't interested in researching the Renaissance period after all. However, as usual she found that the library was the most peaceful area on campus and decided to stay inside away from the hustle and bustle of the other students. There were only two other people in the library today, a Prep whom Chantelle had never really spoken to before (but she knew he was called Tad Smith) and the Librarian who was staring at Chantelle with hawk-like eyes, obviously making sure she wasn't abusing her precious books.

Averting her eyes from the Librarian she settled her eyes on the slightly worn pages of her book and began to read the first line, which included a brief introduction of a man called Vesalius. Seconds later she closed her eyes and began to massage the throbbing pain in her right temple. It was only 1:30pm and she already had a pulsating headache that was no doubt going to last for the remainder of the day.

She remained in the same position for several minutes, listening only to the sounds around her, which included the shuffling of paper and the light footsteps of the Librarian who had now resorted in pacing up and down the shelves of books. The peaceful silence was immediately broken by the banging of the doors and Chantelle was stirred out of her reverie. Blinking stupidly, she turned around in her chair and saw her best friend charging towards her, fiery red hair swinging out behind her. She was scarlet in the face, and was looking angry and nervous at the same time.

"Chantelle…Christ, I didn't have a clue where you were, I was looking everywhere…I hope that you weren't in town…" Christy rambled, taking a seat opposite her, trying to catch her breath. It was obvious that the girl had been running since her hair was tangled and messy, her chest was rising and falling rapidly and her cheeks were bright red.

"What's happened? Has Ricky been hurt or something?" Chantelle asked nervously, aware that Christy's some-what brusque and dramatic entrance had guaranteed the attention of both the Librarian and Tad Smith who indeed was poking his head over his book. Christy quickly shook her head but seemed incapable to come straight out and reveal what was really happening.

"No it's nothing about Ricky…Oh God, it could be going on right now," Christy mumbled looking over her shoulder at the Prep who was trying his best to conceal his interest. Chantelle waited as patiently as she could whilst Christy started mumbling, but she was beginning to get extremely annoyed at having to wait so long for a simple explanation.

"Christy just spill the beans already, jeez…It can't be that bad." She said slowly, raising an eyebrow as her best friend turned back round to face her.

"Ok…I know how you told Jimmy that time not to go around picking fights and such…But he's completely gone behind your back and…Well he's fighting the leader of the Bullies right now, you know the one…The big burly one, Russell?" She added quietly, seemingly cowering away from Chantelle's steely gaze.

"WHAT!?" Chantelle yelled standing up so fast her chair fell on the floor with a loud echoing bang. Without waiting for a reply from Christy who had opened her mouth to speak once more she strode hastily from the library, leaving the masses of books that she had spent at least twenty minutes fishing out, abandoned on the table.

Chantelle stormed outside, banging open the library doors in the same way Christy did earlier, before stopping abruptly after realising that she didn't have a clue where the fight was situated. She bit her lip and turned around to face Christy who had been following her with a concerned expression. With a deep sigh, Chantelle allowed her anger and frustration to slide away so she didn't start taking everything out on her best friend. Again.

"So where exactly are…"

"Basement, we need to get down to the basement. I'm pretty sure I know my way down there, Ricky showed me…" Christy interjected, coughing loudly to cover the awkward pause that followed her sentence. Chantelle however, did not seem to notice that Christy had gone exceptionally red at the fact that she had mentioned her and Ricky and the basement. She was too busy fretting over the fact that Jimmy Hopkins could be getting beaten to a pulp at this very second to notice anything at all.

"Well can we get a move on then? He's probably bleeding to death by now," Chantelle said loudly, staring avidly at her friend who nodded and then began to walk quickly. Chantelle followed patiently behind her, and they finally broke into a run after they both descended the steps from the Nerd's hang-out.

Christy and Chantelle made quick progress through the maze of a basement, which was littered with splinters of wood and random boxes, strips of toilet paper and broken televisions. Once they were deep inside the basement, the dull constant sound of dripping water was eventually replaced with yelling, shouting and jeering. Chantelle hastened her pace again and stopped just short of a deep hole in the ground where Jimmy Hopkins was standing, talking to a dazed and confused Russell. By the looks of things, the fight was already over and instead of Jimmy coming out looking like he had been bludgeoned, he had gotten the victory over the biggest student on campus.

It also appeared that plenty of people in Chantelle's year had turned up to watch the fight. It looked as though all of the clique leaders had shown their faces and others such as Mandy, Pinky, Trent, Damon and Norton had turned up to observe the contest between the newest student and the Bully that everyone was terrified of tangling with, even Damon himself.

"You happy now jerk!?" Jimmy called out as the crowd quietened down a little. Chantelle moved back in the shadows slightly so he didn't spot her, she was also trying to see whom Jimmy was actually talking to.

"Ecstatic! I love to watch two morons beat the crap out of each other." Came the response, and Chantelle didn't need to crane her neck around little Petey to know who it belonged to.

"Why'd you do it Gary? I thought we were friends," Jimmy retorted, glaring at Gary Smith with intensity. Gary replied with a very fake laugh as he turned to look over at Petey and then at the Nerd at the side of him whom Chantelle knew to be Earnest.

"_Friends_…You and me? I've taken dumps that have more brains then you friend. No, I'm taking over this school and you're just a liability. See you around, moron." And with that, Gary turned on his heel and strutted away from them all, with a hint of laughter still reverberating through the air.

Petey began to talk but Chantelle didn't have any time to spare for him. She was now stealthily following Gary in the shadows and once she was sure they were out of earshot and out of sight from everybody else, she grabbed his arm in an extremely tight grip and pulled him into the darkness.

"So that's the way you wanted to do it then?" Chantelle hissed as her eyes started growing accustomed to the limited amount of light. Gary knew instantly whom the voice belonged to and he gave another chuckle.

"Entertaining wasn't it, I bet the idiot didn't know _THAT_ was coming…Oh how exciting it all was…Should have stopped taking this stupid medication ages ago." He said loudly, the happiness in his voice was too pronounced to miss and it made Chantelle slightly sick.

"But Jimmy won, he managed to overcome your stupid little plans and he came out on top," Chantelle started, but she was immediately cut off by Gary.

"Do you think that matters to me!?" He snarled, the tone in his voice reverting back to anger. "I still managed to make him seem as though he's a trouble-making arrogant bastard, even if he did win. I'm going to make his life at Bullworth hell…And whilst I'm doing that he's going to still help me go up through the school until I have complete control over it." Gary continued, adding another sinister laugh at the end.

"Everybody knows your plan now though," Chantelle added hastily, trying to fight back the surging frustration and anger that was seething through her. "Everyone knows that you're trying to take over the school, you basically revealed everything to them."

"You think they actually listened to what I had to say just then? I'm just a crazy sociopath who accidentally forgotten his medicine to them, they probably think I've got a little hyperactive and only said it for some attention. Well let them think that…Just let them think it." Gary hissed, and even though it was pretty dark in the tunnel, she could tell that Gary was smirking.

"You ARE crazy," Chantelle whispered, stepping away from him and shaking her head. Gary who had been gazing around the tunnel with his arms folded and fingers drumming against his arm, set his eyes back on Chantelle and raised his scarred eyebrow.

"Then why are you here?"

Chantelle stopped moving and looked at him. This question literally stumped her and she stood gazing at Gary for several seconds, apparently deep in thought. Why was she here?

She could have just stayed with Christy to see if Jimmy was ok, but she hadn't. She had rushed off to see Gary Smith instead when she had sworn to herself to stay away from him. There were other things that were far more important than Gary and yet here she was standing with him.

"You need to think where your priorities lay Chantelle," Gary said softly, approaching her very carefully "You need to figure out whether your on my side, or the failure's side." He reached out a hand and tucked it under her chin to lift her chin up since she had been staring determinedly down at the ground. His hand was surprisingly soft and warm. They stared at one another for only a mere few seconds before Gary allowed his hand to drop, turning his back on her.

"Like I said before, I'm what you want and you know it." He said snidely, before walking away from her once again.

Chantelle clenched her fists in anger but didn't have the ability to shout him back, she didn't want to. Instead, she turned on her heel and sprinted back down to the hole in which Christy, Jimmy, Russell and Petey were now standing near. Once Chantelle had come in to the dim greenish light, Christy bounded forward looking worried.

"Where did you run off to eh? You were standing right beside me and when I turned to talk to you, you'd vanished! I thought you'd done another one of your disappearing acts and I had to explain to Jimmy that I was here with you to try and stop you getting into this stupid fight, not here to watch!" Christy ranted, flinging her arms up in the air to emphasise her point. Jimmy and Petey were the next to come over whilst Russell randomly walked back out of the tunnel leading to the basement. Chantelle distinctly thought about whether or not Russell had the capability to actually get out of the basement without help.

"Sorry…I just thought…I thought I lost something." Chantelle lied quickly, just before Jimmy and Peter reached them. She gave Christy a weak attempt at a smile before turning her attention on James who had a painful cut across his eye. "And you…What the hell were you playing at!? He's meant to be the strongest in the school and you decided to agree to fight with him?"

"Of course I didn't, I'm not that stupid you know," Jimmy retorted, the grin that had momentarily appeared, quickly vanished. "That stupid sociopath lead me here, it was a trick. He said he had something cool to show me, and we went all the way through the basement, how was I supposed to know Godzilla was waiting on the other side!"

Chantelle folded her arms over her chest and shook her head, allowing her anger to seep away once again. "Ok…Ok I believe you; I'm just a bit irritated you know you could have got seriously injured fighting that ape." She said quietly, rolling her eyes.

"Wait…You were worried wasn't you…You thought I was going to get seriously injured and you came running to try and stop me fighting…You were worried about me!" Jimmy said grinning and watching with some satisfaction as Chantelle blushed scarlet, opening her mouth to try and defend herself. However, with Christy and Jimmy both laughing and Petey nervously trying to join in, her words were drowned out and she was unable to protest against what he had said. She rolled her eyes once again and turned away, her cheeks still glowing red.

"Can we just get out of here already?" She yelled over their laughter, turning her head to face them for a few seconds. "C'mon guys it smells so bad down here, seriously…James I'm sure you've been rolling around in toilet waste down there, you need a shower...Badly,"

At this, Christy howled once again with laughter, doubling over to clutch her stomach and it was his turn to go red. He hastily moved ahead and cleared his throat allowing them to have time to follow him. "Ahh, come on Jimmy, I was only getting you back for what you said about me." Chantelle added, catching up to her friend and looking at him, surprised to see him grinning.

"Yeah, I know…I'm not dumb. It was a pretty lame joke though, even I could have come up with something better then that…Let's just get out of here and then we can figure out what to do with that crazy ass who's marching around the school."

* * *

_**Authors Notes:** This is basically a quick thought up chapter to keep the large gap a little shorter between the next two chapters. It's definitely not my best or my favourite but with exams to revise for I've barely got time to eat my dinner anymore...Next chapter will be up in June unfortunately. Don't forget about the story because after June I'll have until September full of free time to get back on track. Read and Review 3_


	11. Making a Move

**Chapter 11 – Making a Move**

Once again, Chantelle found herself in the company of Christy and Ricky, the very public couple who didn't mind snogging each other in front of Chantelle herself. They had not even spoken for the past ten minutes and instead were staring all googly-eyed at one another, occasionally giggling like little school children. After a further five minutes of this, Chantelle decided enough was enough and prised Christy away from Ricky's almost vice-like grip.

"Christy, for God sake will you tear yourself away from him for five minutes and listen to what I'm trying to tell you!?" Chantelle whispered angrily, dragging her roughly away from Ricky who was still staring trance-like with a puppy-dog like stare. Chantelle averted her gaze from the lovesick puppy and turned her attention back on her best friend, who was still gawping at her boyfriend. With an impatient sigh, Chantelle turned her best friend away from him and glared at her with ferocity. Eventually, Christy blinked and got back to her senses.

"I'm telling you, that Gary Smith is up to something I haven't got a clue what it is but I know it's going to include Jimmy," Chantelle said several minutes later once Chantelle and Christy had finally said goodbye to Ricky (it took a further ten minutes for Christy and Ricky to say bye…By snogging their faces off) They were now sat on the bleachers watching the Jocks train. Luckily for Christy, Cheerleading practise had been cancelled because Mandy had a pimple.

"You're just being really paranoid about this whole Gary Smith thing. You've been talking about him for the last three days, ever since Sunday." Christy muttered in return, leaning casually back and watching as Damon automatically tackled a red-haired Jock who had the ball. "He's a sociopath. He doesn't know how to get up to something," Christy tried to continue but Chantelle instantly interfered, waving her arms to shut her friend up.

"He doesn't? Then how come he managed to orchestrate a huge fight between Russell, who happens to be a clique leader rarely seen within these grounds, and Jimmy himself…_With_ the whole school watching!?" She said in outrage, her eyes burning with fury that her best friend wouldn't take her seriously. Chantelle let out a sigh of frustration that Christy mirrored.

Christy looked momentarily stumped by this revelation, but she quickly recovered and shook her flaming red hair. "Look, Chantelle…I don't know why you're so interested in Smith. He's just another dumb kid who has stupid dreams to rule the school. It'll probably never work since Bullworth is already divided up into…" She trailed off for the second time running, but not because Chantelle was flapping her arms around to silence her.

A Nerd had walked on to the pitch and whilst Damon had been distracted, threw a fire cracker in to the fray of Jocks who were scrambling around on the floor to get the football. An explosion had filled the whole field causing sparks of multicoloured light to filter off in opposite directions. The scene that followed involved several Jocks rolling around on the floor, holding various limbs in agony, the following Jocks that had not been hurt, to go chasing after the Nerd who was trying his very best to flee the scene. However, the Nerd had been correctly equipped and was now throwing marbles and even more firecrackers over his shoulder to avoid getting the worst beating of his life.

"Divided up into cliques…" Christy continued, turning back round to face Chantelle with an extremely dull expression on her face. Chantelle, meanwhile, thought it was absolutely hilarious, nearly as funny as the scene that occurred at Halloween. However, now that it came down to it, Christy had probably seen things like this happen on numerous occasions and had probably rubbed off on her now.

After her laughter had ceased, Chantelle went back to thinking about the whole ordeal between herself, Gary Smith and Jimmy Hopkins. She still hadn't told Jimmy about Gary using him as a toy, and she didn't know why. It was like a secret that should never be told…But why should she keep a secret for him? He had nearly attacked her at one point, pushed her around as though she was simply a toy herself and yet here she was hiding one important fact that could save Jimmy from potentially embarrassing himself in front of every clique available within Bullworth.

However, one change she had seen over the course of the last three days was that the Bullies no longer tried to beat Jimmy up; they no longer tried to trip him up in corridors or steal his books whenever he was carrying them. They were actually being _nice_. Probably not to the remainder of the school, but they were to her, Christy and Jimmy and had even helped Jimmy out in a fight between one of those stuck-up Preps. It didn't necessarily surprise her too much, but it was just the fact that they could actually be nice and not complete ass-holes.

At some point, Trent had even asked for some help on his English homework (God knows why he was even bothering to do it, none of the other bullies cared much about school.) She had gratefully obliged and after their initial incident they were genuine friends. Perhaps not the Jimmy/Chantelle sort of material but it was a friendship.

"Look Christy, I know that you don't want to believe that Gary Smith could actually have the power to sway a whole school, but he is really manipulative. He could probably do it if he had people on his side…For example the Clique leaders? Has that even crossed your mind?" Chantelle asked after a long period of silence that was spent staring at the injured Jocks or reminiscing for Chantelle.

"What? That Gary Smith could be best friends with all the clique leaders?" Christy replied with a small laugh.

"Well yeah…Why what's wrong in being theoretical? I just don't believe that for one second a simple thing such as a little fight between the newest kid in school and the biggest bully in school could draw such a crowd, which involved every single clique leader." Chantelle leaned back and ran a hand through her already messy blonde hair. She was feeling extremely agitated now and wanted to get to the bottom of this…But once again she had not seen Gary Smith since Sunday and she doubted that she would find him. It was as though he had some secret hide-away that he could use whenever he wanted to just…Disappear.

"Because you're theories are absolutely ridiculous. Look there is no way that the all the leaders would want to be friends with a crazy, psychotic sociopath who suffers ADD. He'll just be a liability to them and who want's that?" Christy was staring at her friend with a concerned expression on her face, she opened her mouth to continue speaking but found that she was unable to speak what her thoughts were. "Chantelle, please can we just drop this? I hate the guy and I can't bear talking about him, I have enough to deal with just by simply looking at him." She muttered before turning away and staring blankly down at the field where Damon was now punishing some helpless Jock, whom he blamed for the incident since the Nerd had obviously got away safely.

"I'm just worried that's all…You know about Jimmy, I mean, he doesn't deserve to be in a position that may get him excluded. He's already been through a lot." Chantelle said quietly, not meeting Christy's eyes. She too was looking out on to the field but with a very glazed over expression. This made Christy glance back at her friend and she gently shook her head.

"Well don't worry about him, he has the ability to think for himself and keep out of trouble, if he doesn't then he's probably more to blame then anyone else. I guess the fight on Sunday was probably an accident. I highly doubt anyone would willingly allow themselves to fight Russell. He had to be tricked into it so…"

"See! See even you've just admitted yourself that someone must've tricked him, must've led him there, and what other person to do it then Gary Smith whom he believed was supposed to be a friend of his!" Chantelle interjected hysterically, glaring straight back at Christy who rolled her eyes although she tried incredibly hard to refrain from doing so.

"Jeez, Chantelle you're taking this far too deep. So what if Gary led him there? It just shows how much of a back-stabbing jerk he is. It's almost as though he's showing his true colours, showing that he most certainly cannot be trusted, and now, as serious and as formal as I can possibly make it…I advise you not to go chasing after the sociopath." Christy said, lifting her bag from the side of her seat and hoisting it over her shoulder. "You coming to the Girl's Dorm? I'm freezing sat out here and it appears that all the fun of the firecrackers is over." She said, watching as the mist from her words slowly drifted away in the cold breeze.

"No…No I'll just stop out here for ten minutes or so just to clear my head. You are right you know, I do need to stop thinking about him, he's no use to me really he's just another pain in my back-side." She said laughing half-heartedly. Christy however, grinned genuinely at her friend before leaving.

Running her hand roughly through her hair again, Chantelle closed her eyes against the chilly weather and tried to think things through once again, but everywhere she turned there were dead ends or things that didn't make sense. Why would Gary Smith just turn on Jimmy like that? Why would he use a newcomer as his stepping stone to ruling the school? How did he get everyone to watch the fight, or for Russell to actually begin the fight?

"Chantelle?"

Lifting her head hastily from her hands she opened her eyes, blinked stupidly and saw Jimmy Hopkins standing just in front of her, one eyebrow raised, armed with a slingshot. He gave her a small smile before taking the seat beside her which had been previously occupied by Christy. She returned the smile and turned to face him.

"It's a good job Christy was walking by or I would have still been running around looking for you," He said grinning weakly and carefully putting his slingshot back into the pocket of his coat. "Erm…Never mind that," He said as he followed Chantelle's accusatory gaze. Chantelle bit her lip to refrain her from making any comments and looked back up at him.

"What's this about Jimmy?"

Jimmy looked nervously at the Jocks who were now walking back to the changing rooms to wash up, before facing Chantelle again. He was looking increasingly pale and was twiddling his thumbs as though trying to keep himself occupied.

"Well…The thing is Chantelle, you've been a really good friend to me over these past couple of months and you've probably made this school seem a hell of a lot better than what it really is…I really want to say thanks…But that's not the only thing." He added hastily, seeing as though Chantelle appeared to be on the verge of interrupting. Jimmy scratched the back of his head and looked nervously around once again as though seeing if someone was around. If anyone was, Chantelle doubted that he would even bother trying to say anything like this. She knew that he had some sort of reputation to uphold.

"Wait…You've…You've got a little something just right there," Jimmy said suddenly, taking a completely different tone and trying to point out whatever he was talking about. Chantelle frowned slightly and began to try and wipe off whatever he was explaining.  
"No…No you missed it, oh just…Lemme do it." He said leaning forward casually, but instead of trying to wipe off the non-existent mark on her face, her gently gave her a single kiss on the lips that only lasted a few seconds.

However, this was enough to completely stun Chantelle, as she sat there reasonably still like a statue. She was aware that her cheeks were burning and flushing a deep scarlet red, and that Jimmy was equally as red and embarrassed, but what really set it off was the fact that nothing was said within the short space of time after the kiss.

"Erm…Well, sorry." Jimmy mumbled, jumping to his feet as though he had just been electrocuted by an invisible force. "Catch you later, got some…Business to attend to…See ya." He added quickly before shooting down the bleachers without a backwards glance.

Chantelle opened her mouth, but didn't attempt to call him back. Truth be told, she didn't exactly share the same feelings as he did, not just yet anyway. She did care about him, but just like a friend; A very close friend at that, but still not enough to mirror his feelings.

Realising just how truly cold it was turning, Chantelle stood up herself and took her leave, unaware that Gary Smith had been watching the whole thing from the roof of the Gymnasium. Watching…Staring…Thinking.

* * *

_Authors Notes: Ok so it's been awhile but my exams are OVER PEOPLE! I hope that brings good news. I've managed to put this together, I just wanted a basic filler before I launch right into the story again. The last bit was quite stupid, more like comic relief...But yeah. I just wanted to get back into the flow of things so I hope you won't be too disappointed with this one after such a long wait. Read & hopefully review please. Don't kill me if it's not brilliant XD_


	12. Jimmy's Date

**Chapter 12 – Jimmy's Date**

"Petey!"

Chantelle darted through the crowd to reach Pete Kowalski before he could disappear in to the auditorium, she didn't have a clue what he wanted to do in there and she didn't necessarily want to find out either. She narrowly avoided a collision with Eunice Pound and came to a skidding halt just outside the door. Pete didn't look too impressed at being called back, especially by the girl who had threatened and terrified him in the previous weeks.

"Pete, I need to talk to you," She said quickly, staring around at the various students who were walking by without any particular interest in what they were doing together. Peter however, did not look too happy; in fact he looked almost scared once again. Obviously he thought she was going to start threatening him.

"I…Where is Jimmy?" She asked suddenly, staring him directly in the eye. Petey looked quite taken aback by this question and he tightened his grip on his school books whilst continuing to observe Chantelle with curiosity. She stared back with intensity and Pete slowly got his voice back.

"I don't know where…I don't know where Jimmy is." He said firmly, his knuckles going slightly white with the tightening grip he had on his textbooks. This little white lie may have worked if Peter wasn't so twitchy. Chantelle continued to stare at him with one eyebrow raised, and as soon as she saw his eyes dart around she knew he was lying.

"Of course you do, you wouldn't be gripping on to them textbooks for dear life if you didn't. Tell me where he is, I need to talk to him…He's been avoiding me since Wednesday." Chantelle looked increasingly disgruntled as she finished her sentence and she folded her own arms, tapping her foot impatiently. "Please Petey, just tell me where I can find him…I won't tell him that you told me."

Still not looking too confident with himself, Peter took another glance around the halls which were now nearly deserted except for a couple of Prefects who were keeping their beady eyes focused on them. He took a deep breath and then in a very low tone, he muttered, "He's at the carnival."

Chantelle's expression changed almost immediately. She stared at Petey with a blank look, although she was now wondering why the hell he would be down there, without Petey. "Why did he leave you?" She asked sympathetically, allowing herself to relax around Petey for the first time since she met him. He bit his lip, obviously pondering whether or not to tell her.

"Well…Actually, he's…He's on a date." He said extremely quietly, his head had dropped slightly and he was now avoiding eye contact with Chantelle. He gave her a short nod before disappearing inside the auditorium.

Chantelle didn't immediately register what Peter had just said, and before she could continue interrogating him, he had slid quietly into the auditorium to do whatever he had planned. She felt herself grow slightly angry and frustrated before turning on her heel and marching down the stairs. She hadn't got a clue how long he could potentially be. All she knew was that it was 6pm.

Standing outside the doors to the school she glanced around at the students who were being bullied, conversing together or else playing pranks on one another. None of them happened to be Jimmy Hopkins and she highly doubted that he would go straight to the Boys Dormitory after a date. She didn't even know who he was with…However, she could safely rule out Eunice Pound, whom she had nearly collided with early, Christy who was with Ricky down at Bullworth Vale and Angie Ng who was talking to a couple of younger students.

She momentarily thought about going to the Carnival herself and confronting him there and then, but she believed she would just embarrass the both of them. The thing she least wanted right now was a huge scene in front of everyone. She quickly pulled her hair back in a loose, messy pony-tail at the back of her head and brushed her bangs aside. She had made up her mind to wait for him. He would have to come back at some time; he had nowhere else to sleep.

It was at least an hour until Jimmy showed his face at the school gates where Chantelle had been patiently waiting. Indeed she had been talking to random students to pass the time, and had even spent fifteen minutes talking to Russell, the leader of the bullies. It was also a fairly entertaining conversation (since he didn't know what he was talking about half of the time). However, she was alone when Jimmy finally walked through the gates.

"Can't avoid me now Jimmy Hopkins." She said firmly, grabbing the back of his coat and pulling him so that he was aware of her presence. He obviously wanted to walk on and pretend she didn't exist.

Once Jimmy had turned around to face her, he wasn't giving her his usual cheerful grin nor did he have one of his mischievous expressions plastered across his face. Instead, what had replaced it was a look of boredom mingled with dislike. He stared at her with blank eyes; no more emotion was shown apart from what he was slowly revealing in his facial expression.

"What do you want Chantelle?" He asked coldly, now averting his gaze away from her and staring instead at the wrought iron gates that stood open whilst students flitted in and out of the campus.

"Who is she?" Chantelle responded quietly, still trying to attract his attention, but it seemed incredibly unlikely at this point. Her cerulean eyes travelled down to the floor so she was staring at her black school shoes instead.

"Pinky Gauthier, you've met her before,"

Chantelle looked straight back up and felt herself bit hard on her tongue. Why the hell was he messing with the only Prep girl when he knew that that certain clique were already after his guts for apparently egging Tad Smith's house. She frowned at him, and in that one single second, he glanced at her.

"Why are you messing around with her?" Chantelle retorted a little too violently. She did not want to hold back the frustration that Jimmy Hopkins had caused her over the past few days. Christy didn't even seem too bothered that Jimmy had been extremely distant with the both of them, saying that, she was always glued to Ricky and hadn't had much time to spend on either Jimmy or herself…Not that it mattered too much with Chantelle. The time she spent alone was the time for her to think about everything, especially Gary Smith.

"What does it matter to you?" Jimmy snarled back, folding his arms defensively over his chest and glaring away from her once again. Chantelle could feel the coldness radiating off him as he spoke, and his words cut through her like sharp knives. She stared speechless at him for several minutes until she gathered enough thoughts together to actually string a sentence together.

"Well I still care about you," Chantelle started but Jimmy clicked his tongue impatiently and shook his head dramatically.

"No…No Chantelle, you can't start playing those stupid guilt trips on me ok? You made it clear that you didn't share my feelings so don't pretend you care, you're just jealous I was able to move on to someone who is better than you."

Chantelle's mouth fell open, and she was unable to actually believe what he was saying, however she was just able to register it within her brain until something snapped inside.

"Jealous?" Chantelle began, glaring at him with cold, vicious eyes. "Jealous! What is there to be jealous about, Jimmy?"

Sensing the danger that was about to come, Jimmy turned away from her and was on the verge of walking away once again until Chantelle stopped him once again. She grabbed his arm in a tightening vice-like grip and turned around, making him wince slightly as her nails dug in to his skin.

"Get off me Chantelle," Jimmy began, but he was interrupted by her own voice which completely drowned out his.

"You think I'm jealous of some preppy whore? You think I'm jealous of that inbred just because you're too messed up to face up to the fact that I don't return your feelings?" She yelled, making her voice echo around the campus and seem ten times louder then it actually was. Jimmy shook his head and glanced around to see who was listening in…Luckily it appeared to him that no-one actually was…When in fact he was wrong.

"You know what? You're right Jimmy, I don't care…You can get the shit kicked out of you by the other Preps and I wouldn't care…In fact I hope it does happen! I hope then that it will teach you a lesson." She snapped viciously before storming out of the gates, with absolutely no idea where she was going.

Within that split second of leaving Jimmy and going out of the school gates, she remembered once particular area which she knew she would not be disturbed during this time of the year, where the weather was biting and cold and the Sun barely made an appearance.

She turned right and moved hurriedly up the pavement without glancing back to see if Jimmy had followed her. It was obvious that he had not, or he would have called her name or said something to her at least. All that she heard was the heavy, quick footsteps her shoes made as they came in to contact with the concrete.

Just before she reached the bridge, she turned automatically right once again and came down a small mud-path before reaching a small stretch of sand. She took a deep breath of the salty air before sitting down and resting her back on a large, round boulder. She drew her knees up to her chin and closed her eyes, continuing to breathe in the salty air as though it relaxed her.

Waves gently washed up against the dull sand, but not far enough to reach her. She listened to the water pass of the individual grains and felt immediately at peace. Her anger and frustration were evaporating almost as quickly it had come and her breathing was getting back to its normal rate…

That was until she was disturbed.

"Well that was entertaining,"

Chantelle gasped, her hands immediately curled into fists in which the sand also became trapped inside and she leapt to her feet, her heart beating hard and fast against her ribcage.

"What the hell…" Chantelle trailed off and stared at the figure in front of her. At first she just thought it was going to be Jimmy trying to explain himself, to perhaps even apologise…But it wasn't. He had obviously been keeping an eye on her and on Jimmy too.

"Left you speechless and surprised, not too bad in just one day," Gary Smith said softly as he approached her. His small grin never faltered once, not even when she stepped reluctantly away from him, edging ever so closer to the water.

"What…What are you doing her Gary?" She said shortly, aware that she was very close to the water's edge and would not be able to continue stepping away from him, even though he continued walking towards her, showing no intentions of stopping.

"Well there would only be one reason why I would want to come to this pathetic excuse of a beach, and that would be the person who is standing in front of me," He said gently, extended his own arm so that he could gently grab Chantelle's arm. Chantelle immediately tensed and also winced as though he had burnt her skin even though the grip was extremely tender.

She felt him gently pull her in towards him and seconds later he had her head laid gently on his chest, his hand had released her arm and instead was placed gently around her neck as he breathed slowly in her ear. Chantelle had closed her eyes as she leaned her head gently on him, and her right hand had snaked its way up to his chest where his heart was. It was pumping away furiously, almost like her own, but his breathing remained calm and slow.

"I always knew why you never told Jimmy about what I planned to do to him, I knew why you couldn't return the feelings he held for you…" He spoke with care and delicacy and with his free hand he gently weaved his fingers through her blonde hair.

"I always knew that…That your heart belongs to me."

Chantelle's eyes snapped open and it was several seconds before she realised she was still laying against the boulder, her back aching slightly from being in such an awkward position. Her eyes began to grow accustomed to the dull light and she bit down on her lip before getting to her feet. Wiping the sand that was stuck to her hands on her coat she turned her back on the calming water that was continually washing up against the shore and traced her footsteps back to the school. She was completely astonished and surprised by the dream that was now plaguing her mind, she had never even thought that she had any feelings like that for Gary Smith.

And as she continued her path towards the school, Chantelle was unaware that Gary Smith was lurking nearby, watching…Biding his time.

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_Authors Notes: I'm still not positive about this chapter but I wanted to put it up...I'm not quite sure where this story is going right now but I'm thinking!! I've had a real lack of inspiration recently. Read&Review please._


	13. Reconciliation and the Lighthouse

**_I sincerely apologise for such a long wait for an update, I've started school again for A-Levels and I've barely had any free time to do anything but homework and study. I can't promise a time for the next update I only hope that you stay interested in this story for the period of time it may take me to update. Thanks for your patience and once again I do apologise...If any of you have any ideas for the next few chapters I'll be more than willing to hear them...Help me get some inspiration and ideas flowing again.  
--Robyn_**

**_

* * *

_****Chapter 13 – Reconciliation and the Lighthouse**

"I really do hate trying to find you Chantelle," Christy muttered as she strolled into the library hoping to see her best friend. She wasn't disappointed and saw her snoozing on a stack of three library books that she hadn't even attempted to open. Christy couldn't see the fascination of the library, but she knew that Chantelle often came in here for some peace and quiet, or to calm down since she did have a fiery temper that Christy believed she had adopted from her.

Believing this time that Chantelle had only come in here to be left alone, she approached her friend cautiously before sitting down quietly on the chair opposite her, placing her arms upon the table and shaking Chantelle gently. There was a scuffle behind some bookcase but Christy paid no attention to that, and instead watched as Chantelle raised her blonde head and blinked several times as though she was an apparition rather then a real person.

Leaning back slowly on her chair, Chantelle rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn before turning her attention back to Christy who was watching with amusement.

"What's up?" Chantelle slurred, still trying to wake herself up. She couldn't exactly remember what time she had dozed off but as she glanced down at her watch she saw that it was now 5:15pm. Her gaze rose back up to Christy who was now looking less than impressed about something, which made Chantelle confused. "Christy, what's happened now?"

Christy sighed a little then launched into an explanation about what Jimmy was up to, making Chantelle roll her eyes and began to contemplate what exactly she could do. Usually it took some asking and persuasion to get information out of Christy, but that was because it took a long time for Christy to trust someone, and now Chantelle believed Christy trusted her with her life.

"Well Chantelle, you see it's about Jimmy again." Christy began, glancing down at the books Chantelle had been sleeping on before continuing on. "He's been having some problems with those Preps ever since he started dating Pinky Gauthier…Well know they've took it to another level and forced him to box some Prep and he's said to be the best in the school." Stopping again, Christy saw Chantelle roll her eyes but her best friend didn't say anything, and so she continued. "Well you know what Jimmy's like, can't say no to anything, can't back down…Stubborn right."

At this, Chantelle looked away from the heavy black books she had been silently studying and slowly nodded her head. She knew exactly what Jimmy was like, but saying that she had not seen or spoken to him since their last meeting which hadn't been extremely successful. Folding her arms over her chest as though defending her pride and self-esteem she waited for Christy to continue.

"Well there's a reason why not many people have heard about the boxing match. Apparently they want to keep it within the Prep population…You know in case Jimmy comes through and beats their best boxer. It would come as a really big blow to them, especially since they specialize in boxing…I managed to hear it from Ricky who heard it from Tad Smith…I think he was on the verge of beating him up because of some random egg incident and he just let it slip. I don't know how." Christy said, immediately stopping and obviously going into a world of her own.

Chantelle had heard enough and rose slowly to her feet, now fully awake and quite irritated. She had only briefly passed the place where the Preps liked to box, but she knew perfectly well where it was, and had seen the Aquaberry Snobs hang around and enter it frequently. She leant down and picked up her bag, swinging it over her shoulder and saying nothing to Christy as she moved to leave.

She heard some scuffling from behind a bookcase, but she too ignored this and continued to stride out the room, with Christy coming out of her trance and hastily chasing her.

"What're you planning to do? You aren't going to go down there are you? The Preps won't even let you in so it's completely pointless…" Christy jabbered on, but Chantelle was now completely ignoring her and continued walking with only one destination in her mind. Turning towards the gates, she clearly remembered some of the words she had spoken to him in her rage.

_I don't care…You can get the shit kicked out of you by the other Preps and I wouldn't care…In fact I hope it does happen! I hope then that it will teach you a lesson._

None of what she had said was true and she had definitely not meant it. She did care about Jimmy, just not in the way he cared about her. She didn't want for him to get beat up or badly hurt. She just wished he could actually stay out of trouble from more than a couple of days and now even though she was incredibly annoyed and angry with him, she was also concerned and worried.

Hair swinging out behind her, Chantelle hitched her bag higher up on her shoulder as she moved towards the bridge on her left that lead to Bullworth Vale. She didn't know when the exact boxing match had been scheduled for she just hoped that she wasn't too late and that when she did finally arrive she didn't see him laying on the mat covered in blood, with a broken nose or blacked eyes.

Shaking this vision out of her head she continued walking and nearly knocked a younger girl on to the road, she didn't even apologise since she was now completely distracted. She nearly got ran over herself as she crossed the road without noticing the head-lights of the car, or hearing the loud echoing beeps as it came metres from hitting her.

Christy was still following behind Chantelle, not daring to stop her. She was bound to snap at her and probably say something that would only anger Christy too so she just followed her trying to talk to her out of it, but there was no doing that. She had only one thing on her mind and that was to stop Jimmy from being a complete prat. Again.

Opening the door to the Prep's main hangout, she slammed the door before Christy could follow. Chantelle stopped once she had entered the building and saw through the glass that the match had already begun. Jimmy was trying to hit away at a Prep and not doing incredibly well. She stood there, watching as the other Prep's wearing the trademark Aquaberry hung around the ring jeering and yelling, she also heard the distinctive whiny voice of Pinky, who was surprisingly egging Jimmy along.

A hit to Jimmy sent him down to the floor and this spurred Chantelle back into action. No-one had seemed to notice her arrival which suited her just fine, well that was until she decided to push through the crowd of Preps and pulled herself into the ring, sliding elegantly through the red ropes. There was a wave of whispers and some disgusted outcries but she completely ignored them and knelt down beside Jimmy.

"Ah shit...Chantelle."

Jimmy gathered himself together and got quickly to his feet where he swayed ever so slightly on the spot. He rubbed his severely bruised eye precariously and peered at her as though seeing her for the first time. Chantelle also rose back to her feet.

"Oh Jimmy I told you not to get messed up in all this preppy shit and now look where its gone and got you...A nice little beat down. You can't go around school like this. You're just gonna get repeatedly hurt." Chantelle said sternly, watching him carefully.

"Oh and why do you suddenly care so much? A few days ago you couldn't stand the sight of me and now you're all upset and worried. It's not me who needs to sort themselves out, it's you Chantelle. Before you start lecturing me why don't you give yourself some advice and stop being so god damn confusing. Now move out of the way and let me finish this kid!"

Jimmy attempted to side-step Chantelle but she blocked his movement making him sigh in both anger and frustration. It was obviously going to take more then a few rarely hurtful insults to get her to leave. She stared at him with those startling blue eyes and he felt a sudden urge just to run. Run away from the boxing match, away from Chantelle, but he didn't. Instead he straightened up and cleared his throat preparing to say something else but she beat him to it, much to the pleasure of the audience that were crowded around the ring. They had been hoping to watch a simple boxing match but they had obviously been given a lot more then that and they were absolutely delighted. To them it was just a fresh batch of gossip to spread around school, another chance at ruining someone else's life.

Chantelle ignored the staring onlookers, she only allowed her eyes to look fixatedly upon Jimmy, and she had to make him understand.

"Jimmy please," She began her voice quivered slightly but she showed barely any emotion upon her face. "Please you have to understand…Let's not keep going on like this, like we hate each other."

Chantelle was now looking at Jimmy with a tinge of regret and sadness and Jimmy bit down on his lip. The pain around his bruised eye was now causing him to wince in agony, but he still managed a very curt nod and Chantelle sighed with relief before giving him a very brief but gentle hug. She knew that the prep had also been working away at his ribs...Well she had been watching him for a fair few minutes before interrupting.

However, there was a second reason for the embrace that she gave Jimmy, and as she leaned in towards his ear, she gently whispered. "When he goes to attack you...He leaves his left-side open." She withdrew and gave him a very mischievous smile, which Jimmy returned before she exited the ring. The crowd remained fixated upon either Chantelle or Jimmy, until the Prep finally yelled, "Hey there's a boxing match going on here!"

The crowd stirred and a few minutes later the bell had rang and the match continued. Feeling slightly better knowing that Jimmy was now on her side rather then against her, she edged away from the crowd. She was going to stay to see if Jimmy could overcome the almost impossible odds that had been stacked against him, but now he was doing far better then what she had seen. He was taking her advice and attacking his left side, much to the dismay of the Preps who were now booing.

Christy came barging through the door seconds later, obviously plucking up enough courage to finally come in to the Prep's hangout. She gave Chantelle a rather peculiar look and then glanced over at Jimmy.

"So did you actually do anything?" Christy asked, folding her arms over her coat and staring up at the boxing match which now appeared to be extremely close to ending…In Jimmy's favour.

"I just had a really brief word with him." She said shortly, moving her eyes across Christy back to Jimmy, whom she saw give the final punch straight into the Prep's face. Chantelle couldn't help but screw her face up, almost as though she felt the pain herself as the Prep crumpled to the floor holding his nose. Jimmy let out a yell of triumph throwing his fists into the air whilst the crowd around the ring booed and hissed but he just simply exited with his head held high and joined the two girls by the door.

"Well there's that done then, want to see the new hangout?" He asked them, giving Chantelle a quick wink before leaving the building. Christy and Chantelle gave each other very brief suspicious looks but didn't ask any further questions until they were well out of the way of the furious Preps. Instead of heading back to school however, Jimmy turned right and began to make his way along the path leading up towards the tunnel to the Carnival.

"Jimmy…Where are we going?" Christy decided to ask a few minutes later after they had passed the pier. Jimmy did not reply vocally, he just turned his head and gave her a cheeky grin before descending down onto the sand, now heading straight for the old Lighthouse.

"Wait. Don't tell me…It was that competition those Aquaberry snobs were rambling on about earlier in the dinner hall!" Christy stared at Jimmy with her eyebrows raised. "But I thought that it was just for those inbreeds. I wouldn't have thought they'd let you in."

Jimmy sniggered, walking a little oddly probably from the pain in his ribs as they continued walking towards the Lighthouse. "Well see, Christy, those inbreeds you're talking about absolutely hate me right now. I mean, I stole their 'Princess' off them, and did a bit of egging houses…So all I had to do was show up, mouth off a bit and I had them right where I wanted them. And I basically beat them fair and square so I…"

A clear concise cough disrupted this sentence and Jimmy smiled and glanced at Chantelle. "Well, with a little help, I beat them and so the Lighthouse is now officially my own personal hang-out. Feel free to come down here whenever you feel like. The only down-side is that the Preps will probably still hang around here." Jimmy added before walking straight inside to the very polished, posh interior.

"Oh well, this place is good enough for me," Chantelle said before following Jimmy and Christy inside.


	14. Let's Celebrate

**Chapter 14 – Let's Celebrate**

"Jimmy…How many people did you actually invite to this little celebration of yours?" Christy asked after she had finally completed the task of setting out some half-decent food on the table. She straightened up and brushed her flaming red hair out of her eyes which were settled directly on Jimmy who was cleaning up the newly owned Lighthouse.

"There are just a few people; I heard Chantelle managed to persuade a couple of people to show up though. What about Ricky? Is he popping along?" Jimmy answered whilst throwing some empty glass bottles into the bin. Christy glanced up at him and gave him a short curt nod, clearing her throat as she did so. "Yeah, Ricky said he would come, but only because of me. The Greasers have something against you Jimmy, and it's beginning to take its toll on Ricky too. I really thought you two were quite good friends, but clearly Ricky likes to be a sheep and follow his own crowd. He listens to Johnny and does whatever he says, even if it is to hate the 'new kid'." Christy warned, leaning against the bar whilst watching Jimmy continue to tidy up.

"He said he was going to bring along a friend too, he said it was for company but I think it's more for protection." She laughed at this remark a little too heartily for Jimmy's liking, before turning around and moving the plates of food round a bit so it appeared as though she was actually doing something rather then sitting around gossiping.

There was a very light knock at the door and a second later Chantelle entered with a flurry of cold wind. She was wrapped up in a coat, hat, scarf and gloves and still appeared to be shivering. Giving Jimmy and Christy both as smile she tore the scarf from her neck and put it on the closest chair. "Some people are on the way now, it seemed as though I got a few people interested." Chantelle murmured, still shaking slightly. "Oh, Jimmy, all your bully pals are coming too, even Russell. I didn't think he'd bother but he perked up when I said that it was the old Prep hangout. Hmm I think he's itching for a fight."

There was another knock at the door and Chantelle turned around in time to see Pinky Gauthier stride in, looking cheerful and radiant. She gave Jimmy a flashing smile before taking off her pink aquaberry coat and hanging it on the same chair that Chantelle was currently using as a coat stand. Christy rolled her eyes as Chantelle scowled; she and Pinky weren't closest of friends right now.

"Oh Jimmy, I overheard Chantelle talking about this little get together you we're having at our old Lighthouse, I couldn't resist a little party." Pinky added sweetly, staring at Jimmy with admiration. Christy couldn't help but snigger at this, but she quickly turned it into a small coughing fit and turned her back on the two girls and Jimmy.

Pinky's tone abruptly changed and she straightened up, dusting off her aquaberry jumper and flicking back her dark hair. "Oh yes, there's a gang of those stupid imbecile's on their way too, you know the ones you hang around with, in their dirty white shirts that they never seem to change?" She said bitterly, sitting heavily on the sofa and paying no further attention to anyone in the room. Jimmy felt a twinge of anger towards Pinky for insulting his friends, but another knock at the door made him forget all about it.

In came the Bullies, wearing (for once) clean white shirts, even Russell, who came in last and hit his head on the lintel, had decided to change. He gave a small grunt but apart from that appeared not to have felt anything. Pinky gave him a very frightened sort of look and jumped out of her seat as he sat down next to her. She moved towards a corner of the room and folded her arms over her chest, observing the other people she preferred to call 'thugs'.

Finally, Ricky and another Greaser entered without bothering to knock. Ricky's friend looked slightly annoyed at being asked to tag along and decided to stick to a corner that was furthest away from anyone in the vicinity. However, Pinky was now eyeing the Greaser up even though the two cliques were basically worst enemies. Chantelle could see that Ricky looked a bit grumpier then usual and when he sat down next to Christy he just grunted in response to her. Clearly, Johnny Vincent was getting a bit agitated with the Greasers hanging out with the new kid.

The party went on for a couple of hours, with the Bullies providing the main entertainment. Pinky left only thirty minutes into it, saying she had other business to attend to, Chantelle didn't need anyone to tell her that it was because she felt left out since Jimmy was spending more time with everyone else then her...And everyone knew Pinky demanded as much attention as possible. Both Greasers made a quick leave too, but lasted thirty minutes longer than Pinky did. Chantelle watched her best friend from the food table and saw that she was extremely pissed off and not in a very approachable mood. Finally, looking down at her watch which now read 10:40pm, Chantelle decided to head back up to her dorm.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go and take my leave okay? I'm pretty exhausted and well it's been fun for the time it's lasted." She said smiling and observing the other people in the room. Christy, it appeared, had fell asleep on the chair she was sitting in, Trent seemed a little bummed that she was leaving and Jimmy moved quickly towards her.

"Want me to walk you back up to school?" He asked quietly, but Chantelle simply responded with a quick head-shake before wrapping up in her coat, hat, gloves and scarf, waving goodbye and making an exit. The cold air hit her almost immediately and she almost went back inside again to where it was nice, cosy and warm, but she braved it and started walking across the sand. The beach, at first glance, was completely deserted. The sound of the waves gently lapping up against the sand was the only distinct sound other than the quiet music from the carnival and the rumble of traffic from the road up ahead.

The sand crunch generously under foot as Chantelle slowly made her way towards the road. She didn't feel as tired now that she was out in the cold air, but she didn't want to go back to the party, she had had enough of the weird practical jokes from the bullies for one night. She glanced around again and saw that she actually wasn't entirely on her own. She didn't know why she hadn't heard the figure approaching behind her, but she made up her own excuses within the short period of time that was in silence. But the figure made a beeline for her and a few seconds later she was face to face with no other than Gary Smith.

"What the hell..." Chantelle began but was immediately cut off as Gary started dragging Chantelle back to the Lighthouse by her wrist. The grip was tight and even though she struggled to get the wrist out of his hand, she knew it was pretty useless. This guy was tough when he wanted to be. He was also a sneaky little bastard too.

"Gary, get off me!" Chantelle said angrily, restraining against the grip and trying to pull the other way, but he was easily winning her and was now taking her up the muddy slope that lead behind the Lighthouse.

"Will you shut up for a second!?" Gary said angrily, pushing her against the Lighthouse after finally releasing the death grip he had on her wrist. Chantelle made to move away from him but he simply pulled her back and pushed her, for the second time, against the Lighthouse. "If you don't stop moving I'm gonna let you go down there and get your pretty little faced egged. Now stop!"

Filled with curiosity, Chantelle did indeed stop struggling and moving about and instead stood still, panting a little but staring at Gary all the same. She could only faintly make out the expression on his face due to the silvery rays of moonlight spilling out, but it was partially blocked from the building behind them...But Gary looked reasonably happy about something.

"I knew you would want to know what's about to go down." He said in a low but unmistakeable cheerful voice. "I can't believe the trust fund babies believed every word I fed to them. So naive, yet such bastards," He said with a very strange grin plastered across his face. Chantelle remained silent, watching him with intent. She could feel her wrist throbbing in the cold air and knew there would be a serious red mark there...But she was still incredible curious to what was about to happen, although she had some idea.

"They're heading down here right now thinking that one of their own is trapped inside." He said gleefully, ecstatic that another one of his plans had worked again. "Of course they didn't think to check their numbers, and didn't think to bring any decent weapons...They think eggs would work." He said, now leaning against the Lighthouse so that he could see through the gap that would allow him to see the sand and the water. "Oh here they come now, isn't this just exciting."

Chantelle raised her eyebrow and turned around, ready to go to the Lighthouse herself to warn the others that the Preps were preparing to attack them, but Gary was still watching her and grabbed the same wrist, making her gasp in her pain. He dragged her bag and pushed her against the Lighthouse gently, now for the third time. Except this time he didn't let go.

"So where do you think you're going?" Gary said, his expression had changed just as fast as his mood and he was now looking quite frustrated again, his voice deadly serious. His face moved even closer to hers, his hands holding both her wrists against the Lighthouse. "Didn't I just tell you not to go down there...They will think you're Jimmy...Do you want to get the beating hmm?"

"Well actually," Chantelle replied, trying to show him that she was not intimidated by him at all, although there was a bit of a shiver in her voice. "I was going to warn them." She said quietly, hearing the sound of the sand crunching under foot getting louder and louder. The preps were nearly there. "But then I remembered, Russell is in there, those stupid snobs don't stand a chance." She said viciously, trying to move again but Gary had no intentions of letting her leave, or even letting her go.

"What...But I thought I saw him..." Gary said, looking slightly confused and agitated. The grip slackened slightly and Chantelle decided to take advantage of this and pushed him aside, running up the muddy slope. She had not yet ventured this far and hoped it would not lead to a dead end. Even though Gary had seemed so excited to watch his plot unfold, he also didn't want Chantelle to make a quick and speedy getaway. He wanted her to watch with him.

"Little bitch!" He snarled angrily, gaining his composure and running after her. To be fair, Chantelle had no chance of out-running Gary, and probably even a smaller chance of outsmarting him. She scowled as he grabbed the hood of her coat and ragged her back. She yelped as the material dug into her throat and quickly decided then and there that she wouldn't fight or run anymore. Gary was getting extremely angry and therefore dangerous.

"Best not try anything like that again..." He muttered, pushing her towards the commotion that was going down outside the Lighthouse. There was now screaming and yelling and the distinct roar from Russell.

"Looks like you're boyfriends are getting a bit beat." Chantelle piped up without any hesitation, Gary meanwhile just laughed. "Do you think I care for the Preps huh? This is just another excuse to watch the school fight each other. Don't you think it makes for good entertainment?" Gary replied, the smile now returning to his face.

"Not really no," Chantelle replied, rubbing her throat and watching as Russell tackled prep to the floor, before punching viciously. Russell let out another roar and disappeared behind the Lighthouse. The Prep was now knocked out on the sand. "It's just for sick-minded people like you Gary," She muttered, shaking her head before refusing to watch the scene anymore. "If they find you up here you're dead meat you do realise that don't you?"

"Oh just shut up." Gary snarled in response, now ignoring the scene himself, paying more attention to the girl he had pulled up here. "I didn't think you'd mind it myself, seeing those Preps you hate so much get the crap beaten out of them. Maybe you have more principals then I first thought. You're a sensible one at that, maybe not smart or tactful but sensible. See how you're not running off to go crying to Jimmy, or making an attempt to leave at all? That's sensible."

Chantelle had no reply to this, instead she heard the yelling begin to die down a bit, and knew that the attack would be soon over, for good or for worse. All she really wanted to do was get inside the girls dormitory and be nice and warm, because the cold air was beginning to effect her again, and was now making her feel itchy and tired.

Gary turned round to her again after failing to see anything amusing going on back at the beach and decided Chantelle was now more entertainment. He bit his lip whilst he watched Chantelle, watched her blonde hair shiver in the wind, watched her dark eyes as they stared back, moved slowly down to her slightly parted lips. He closed his eyes trying to remove a few thoughts that were running through his already overloaded brain but it was no use. The sounds of the yelling Preps and Bullies had completely faded away and had been replaced with the groaning of people in pain. There was a snap as a door closed and Chantelle knew that no-one would be looking up here.

"Gary please, just let me go back to school," Chantelle pleaded quietly, gazing around the vicinity, trying now to look everywhere but at him.

"Shh." Gary replied gently, still staring at her, taking in as much about her as he possibly could, but always going back up to her face, to those lips. She opened her mouth to speak again but Gary was a little quicker.

The agility was clear; he simply darted forward and raised his hand which nestled gently in her cold hair, before letting his own lips press roughly against hers. Chantelle's eyes widened, thinking he was actually going to attack her, but was even more stunned when they were kissing forcefully.

With a tug of Chantelle's hair, Gary pulled away almost as quickly as he had moved in and looked absolutely appalled with himself. He was staring at her with his mouth hanging open, his expression of complete shock. Without another word Gary turned on his heel and ran up the slope, not even taking a backwards glance at the freezing cold Chantelle he had left behind.

"What the HELL!?" Chantelle called out after him, but got absolutely nothing in response. Chantelle didn't want to stand around any longer, no matter how weird things had just got. Obviously Gary was severely confused because apart from the fact that he wasn't taking anymore medication, Chantelle could not see the reason why he had just done what he had done, and by the looks of things neither could Gary.

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_Author's Notes: Sorry about the long wait for an update. I don't know if I like this chapter but I needed something to get the action going again and I've only just started playing Bully again on the Xbox360...A-Levels are time consuming. Hopefully you will not have to wait too long for the next update but I'm rather unreliable when it comes to updating stories. Please please please read and review, you're comments are very much appreciated and taken into account. Yes, Gary probably would not behave like this, but then again Gary is unpredictable. Hope you enjoy it._


	15. Race the Vale

**_Author's Notes: Ok, quite a chatty chapter right here, but I just wanted to develop the characters and the plot in a bit more detail. I'm just thinking ahead of what my next chapter can contain. Maybe less chat, maybe not. REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK_**

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**Chapter 15 – Race the Vale**

"Chantelle, wake up like right now!"

Chantelle rolled over so she was facing the person whose voice it belonged to and slowly opened her eyes. She still felt severely exhausted, and truth be told, she had a hard time sleeping last night. When her eyes had grown accustomed to the dim sun-light shining through the curtains, she saw her best friend standing over her looking extremely pissed off. Staring at her friend for only a brief few seconds, Chantelle could clearly see that Christy was looking rough and very tired and appeared to still be in her clothes from last night...Which Chantelle then realised what had happened to make her best friend so angry.

"You frickin' left me!?" Christy said loudly, slamming the door that she had left open when she had finally gotten into her dorm room. "You LEFT me at that god damn lighthouse Chantelle, whilst you pranced off towards school. I can't believe it, how in the name of hell could you have forgotten your best mate!?" She squealed, throwing her hands up in the air in complete disbelief. "Why would you do something like that? The frickin' lighthouse got attacked and I was there!"

Chantelle was now sat up straight in her bed, leaning against the wall and looking guilty and sympathetic towards her best friend. She was trying to think past the moment she had had with Gary Smith, but it was easier said then done. She bit her lip and remembered waving good-night to everyone in the Lighthouse, but Christy had been sleeping in her chair with a coat over her...

"Christy, I swear I didn't mean too, you had a coat over you I dunno, I suppose I was too slow witted to recognise you were there..." Chantelle said quietly, hoping that there were no eavesdroppers outside the door. This sort of conflict would be the thing that Mandy would enjoy, and spread around the school...The vindictive bitch she is.

"Oh woah, you forgot me because I had a coat over me!"

his comment had only fuelled Christy's hysterical anger at Chantelle, and Chantelle could see why and she had nothing else to say to try and excuse her from leaving her best friend behind, especially in the Prep attack. Christy could have easily been hurt or assaulted by one of them, but she hadn't and right now that was all Chantelle cared about. Her friend's wellbeing...

"I know you're angry and furious at me for leaving you but I swear I didn't mean to okay? You're my best friend and I suppose I was just too tired to think straight and I apologise and I'll keep apologising time and time again because I don't want to lose you as a friend over this." Chantelle spoke calmly but very delicately, trying her uttermost best to diffuse the situation. If it was anyone else she probably would have lost her temper already and had been shouting the roof down.

Christy let out a loud, over exaggerated sigh and before sitting down heavily on the edge of her bed. The anger she had first had when walking into the dorm room had fizzled out and exhaustion had replaced it.

"It was okay, Davis White stayed back to make sure I was okay." She said quietly, almost as though she didn't want anyone else to hear this sudden fact. "Russell, Jimmy and the others ran out to get rid of the Preps. I heard some firecrackers and stuff go off and then there was a few yells and screams, and a few minutes later Russell came in covered in eggs." Christy recalled for her friend as they both sat there on their beds. "He looked absolutely fine except for the yolk dripping on his shirt and stuff. Jimmy looked really grateful that Russell was there, and well in all honesty so was I. If the Preps had gone inside, maybe I wouldn't look so untouched." She said calmly, folding her arms over her coat.

"I am sorry Christy, you know that."

"Oh I know, I knew there had to be some explanation and I suppose if I had been in the same situation I might've been the same...I'm just glad I got out of their unscathed...Davis walked me back to the dorm an hour or so ago." Christy explained, shrugging before lying back on her bed and yawning.

"Well if you got back an hour ago, why have you only just got into the dormitory?" Chantelle asked, raising an eyebrow whilst observing Christy.

"I went to go talk to Ricky at the Auto-Shop." Christy replied quietly, lifting herself up on to her elbows to return the stare at Chantelle. "I dumped him. Figured out he just wasn't the one for me."

"What!? I thought you adored Ricky?"

"Oh...I did, before I realised that he didn't care that much about me. He didn't even seem that bothered that I had ended it with him, just muttered something about fixing a bike and then I just took my leave. I can't have someone who would rather snog a bike then his girlfriend Chantelle, I'm sure you can understand that." Christy let out another yawn before continuing on, "You see, I did really like him, I thought I had hit the jackpot when he asked me out. He was gorgeous, popular and wasn't as dumb as the other Greasers, but when it came down to it, he was just obsessed with bikes and Johnny Vincent." She snarled, falling backwards on her bed again. "It was always Johnny this and Johnny that. In the end I just couldn't be dealing with it, in a way he's just like those stupid ass nerds who go around raving on about trading cards and gaming."

Chantelle remained quiet, listening carefully to Christy's explanation and could definitely see why she had chosen to end it sooner rather than later. Ricky had had time in the past to amend his ways a little and pay Christy more attention but he had chosen not to. If it had been Chantelle that had been in Christy's position, she would have ended it awhile back.

"But...Look Chantelle you have to promise me that you will keep this quiet for awhile, and you also need to promise me you won't laugh or make any sort of snide comment about what I'm gonna tell you okay?" Christy asked quietly, sitting up once again and looking at her friend, waiting for confirmation.

"I won't say a word...And I definitely won't go making snide comments...What's up?"

"Well I told you about Davis right and how he stayed with me and walked me back and stuff," Christy began, but Chantelle had an instinctive feeling she already knew what was coming. "He sorta made me see that I need attention you know? And Ricky was barely giving me any; it was always me who had to make an effort in the end..." She stopped, trying to pick out suitable words. "I went to go talk to him after I ended it with Ricky and he didn't mind talking to me at all, even in front of that Trent and Troy."

"What happened then?"

"We're sort of dating." She said shortly, avoiding Chantelle's eye and instead staring at the mirror to the right instead. Chantelle had already sussed it out and found it extremely interesting and rather sweet too.

"That's really sweet, I didn't think you'd be interested in one of the bullies though...But seriously I have nothing against it just as long as you feel comfortable that you haven't moved on too fast from Ricky." Chantelle responded, standing up out of bed and moving to get changed. It was a Saturday and they luckily had no classes today so there was no need for her to put her uniform on. Christy meanwhile remained on her bed with her eyes closed and Chantelle knew she must be still really tired and so after getting changed and sorting out her messy hair she made a quick exit to let her friend sleep.

She descended the steps and passed Eunice who was snacking on chocolate and Beatrice who was sat in the corner of the room reading a particularly thick book and muttering under her breath. Chantelle didn't pay much attention, and so she moved on, walking out of the dorm to the outside which was a surprisingly warm day to nearly end November with. The Sun was shining overhead, and people were walking around without the company of hats and scarves. She didn't get long to think by herself however, because she was soon joined by someone else.

"Ahh, Chantelle just the person I was looking for."

She turned round and saw Jimmy walking towards her looking awfully cheerful. He was pushing his bike along-side him and kept glancing down at his watch.

"What's up Jimmy?" Chantelle asked, looking from his bike to him.

"I needed a bit of support down at the beach because those Preppy losers didn't like the fact that we kicked their asses last night." Jimmy explained, the grin never leaving from his face. "So instead of wanting another fight they decided to ask me for a race round the vale and you know me, can't turn down an offer if it's right there in front of me."

"So you want me to go down there and sit on my own for a bit whilst you go for a rampage around the Vale?" She asked, putting it all into a quick summary for him and rolling her eyes in the process. "Fine, I will but only cause I don't have anything better to do...And I guess you need to get a move on because you can't stop looking at your watch. C'mon let's get going."

Jimmy was kind enough (or rather in a huge rush to get down to the beach) to give Chantelle his bike whilst he ran along-side her.

A few minutes later, Jimmy was mounting his bike again beside three other Preps, whilst the store manager from the bike shop was standing there along-side them ready to count them in. Chantelle waved to Jimmy and gave him a smile before sitting down on the sand, leaning back on her hands and getting ready to watch the race begin.

"3...2...1..."

The whistle was blown and the boys began the race, with Jimmy luckily getting the head start.

"GO ON JIMMY, KICK SOME AQUABERRY ASS!" Chantelle decided to yell with encouragement, hoping to put at least one of the Preps off...And it indeed worked. Chad turned his head in her direction and nearly cycled into the sea, she waved at him and giggled as he managed to swerve to avoid the crumbling sand and get back on track.

"I sure do hope that Jimmy Hopkins wins." The Tobias Mason began, looking towards the pier at where the boys had just previously been, their tyre tracks where still clearly imprinted in the grainy sand. "I know it's a bit biased an all, but those Aquaberry kids are really just huge jerks. They threatened to buy me out once, well that Harrington lad did. Said his dad had huge businesses worldwide and could kick me out of that shop before I could say 'bikes'. Well I gotta say...I'm still here after seven months so maybe he isn't allowed into his trust-fund until he's grown the hell up!"

Chantelle nodded and smiled, she actually found it quite funny that an adult was taking the mess out of the Preps. It was fine when students did it, but with adults it was like sealing the deal. "I agree they're just trust-fund babies. I bet they won't work a day of their lives until they're forced to earn a living instead of sponging off their mommies and daddies." Chantelle rolled her eyes at this comment and shrugged. "You know what I really hate about them, it's the fact that they go around making comments about other people's wealth. It's unfair and completely out of order. It's not even their own money, it's their parents and yet they think they are above everyone else because they were Aquaberry." She scowled whilst shaking her head.

"I know, I completely agree with you," The Tobias responded with an agitated expression on his face.

They both sat there in silence for a few seconds, their eyes remained on the lighthouse which is where the boys would have to cycle round to get to the finish line. The rays of Sunshine were nice and warm today, but there was still a bit of a chilly breeze rippling through the air. The steady rum of traffic and the smell of petrol were wafted towards them by the wind as they remained in silence.

"C'mon Jimmy..." Chantelle said impatiently, finally breaking the silence. The shopkeeper glanced towards her and grinned. "It's a long race. They're bound to be cycling through the suburban area by now though."

"This may seen really spiteful and malicious, but I really hope one of those Preps ride into a lamppost or something." She added, allowing a small, weak hesitant smile to appear on her lips. "Or if that doesn't happen, Jimmy should win and rub it in their faces until they're red in the face from embarrassment."

"Looks like they're on the way," The Shopkeeper interjected, pointing out into the distance where the shining glints of bikes were trundling around the lighthouse.

As they drew closer, it appeared that Jimmy and Chad were fighting to get to first place. They were both glistening with a light perspiration and seemed as though they were struggling to breathe properly.

"Oh...Come on Jimmy just that little bit further!" She shouted out, jumping up and down on the sand and waving her arms.

This small bit of encouragement made Jimmy pedal just a little faster than Chad who was now falling behind him. He let out an unusually loud yell at being in the loser's seat, but that was where he remained. Jimmy crossed the finish line and seconds later he had thrown his bike down and collapsed on the sand, panting. His chest was rising and falling rapidly and his face was a deep shade of red from the sudden burst of exercise.

The other three Preps came one after the other and looked extremely pissed. Chad banged the bandaged wrist on the handlebar and shook his head. "How could he have won?" He said in outrage, wiping the layer of sweat of his forehead, his expression not changing. "This...This is a complete and utter outrage, this is nearly as worse as that boxing match." Chad let out a loud and irritable sigh before dismounting his bike and throwing it unceremoniously into the sand.

Jimmy was now sitting up and talking to Chantelle whilst the Preps conversed themselves. They were looking curiously over at the two teenagers, whilst keeping their heads together. Chad took a step back, gave a short curt nod and pulled out a small sleek black cell-phone, moving away from the crowd and keeping his voice low. The other Preps who had joined Chad in racing were now staring at Jimmy, still with the same resentment plastered upon their faces.

"This won't happen again!" Tad Spencer called out, pointing at Jimmy and shaking his head. "Oh no, not again."

Jimmy stood up and stretched his aching muscles before letting out a small and very short-lived laugh. "What, you gonna come back for more after we kicked you're asses yesterday and I beat you in your own game today...What next, a rematch at the Glass Jaw?" Jimmy asked, now continuing his laughter. Chantelle stood at the side of Jimmy with a small smile on her own lips whilst the Preps looked mortified.

"You haven't met Derby yet!" Gord spat suddenly, standing slightly in front of Tad Spencer as though he was trying to make himself look all important. "You haven't met our leader in a fight and you would feel incredibly stupid if you ever had to! He'd humiliate you, make you a laughing stock for the whole school to appreciate." He continued, folding his arms over his chest and throwing his head back so his chin was pointing upwards. It was the sort of gesture that rich and snobbish people did to those who were less wealthier then them.

"Oh yeah!?" Jimmy replied, looking suddenly quite angry. "Then tell him to bring his stupid excuse of a human to show his face and fight me then! I'll be looking forward to it you stupid trust-fund baby. Now get out of my sight before I beat you down all over again!" Jimmy snarled, his hands were clenching and unclenching in a continual pattern until Gord and Tad hastily turned around and moved towards Chad who was still talking on his cellphone.

"Erm,"

The two teenagers both turned round to see Tobias Mason standing there looking rather insignificent. He was rubbing his hands on his red apron and then resorted to looking at his dirty fingernails which seemed to barely be clean anyway. "Let me know when you want that trophy of yours Jim. The one you won yeah...I'll just be up at Shiny Bikes you know, where I work." He said raising an eyebrow. "Gonna take a couple days to make it though so no rush eh? You go and...Do you're business. Sort those Preps out." He gave them a grin and walked away, more than likely heading back to his shop.

With the Preps out of the picture, Jimmy turned back to Chantelle with his anger now abated. "Want to go catch a bite to eat? There's a Burger Joint down the road from here, it's actually a pretty decent place. It's definitely better then Edna's cooking and it's where the majority of the students go when they aren't strapped for cash. The Preps don't go there though, they prefer the posh restaurants near the Aquaberry store thankfully." He grinned and picked up his bike.

Chantelle shrugged. "Yeah why not, got nothing else planned for the day. Christy's completely out of it, shattered from yesterday night. I'm guessing she didn't get much sleep last night at the Lighthouse after the Preps attacked." She stated as they started up the beach towards the steps that led up to the pavement. Jimmy shook his head as if to respond, crossing the road which was devoid of any type of traffic. "Yeah, she got herself a new squeeze though, seems that Ricky wasn't up to scratch in the end. You know I didn't really think he was good enough for her, he was a bit of a...Well a prick."

They continued talking about Christy, Ricky and Davis all the way up to the Burger Joint, as well as gaining more details about the previous night's attack. Looks like Gary Smith had the majority of the Preps at his command, falling for his lies and deceit...But was she any better?

"Jimmy, have you seen...Gary Smith recently?" Chantelle asked quietly, trying to act as casual as possible. She faked a very curious expression as she turned around to Jimmy to see what his own reaction would be. Luckily, it wasn't shock or surprise, it was more anger then anything else.

"That stupid sociopath? Course not, if I had then I would have beaten the little git half to death. The last time I saw him he turned the Preps on me for saying something about Tad Spencer's mother, when quite clearly I hadn't." He clicked his tongue before pushing open the doors to the Burger Joint, the loud tinkle of a bell greeting them.

"Oh right. So he's still stirring trouble for you then, I would have thought he'd call it quits with you now and continue on with something greater like his mission to be King of the School." She snorted but there was worry in her eyes that Jimmy seemed to not notice. She ran a hand through her hair nervously and glanced around. It reminded her strongly of the old diners that you could see on ancient films like Grease but it was clean and seemed hygienic and that was all Chantelle cared about.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, just a cheeseburger and fries. I'm not one for a lot of fast food."

Jimmy nodded and smiled before going up to the counter, whilst Chantelle took a seat, giving her briefly some time to think and reflect on things. Gary Smith was deceiving and constantly scheming, yes that much was true. He didn't care much about other people's feelings as long as he got what he wanted, and that was also true...But she seemed to be an exception. Well now anyway. Gary had cared just that little bit more to make sure she wasn't there when the Aquaberry freaks attacked, but he had kept her there to watch the events unfold rather then let her go and tell her friends that they were going to be ambushed. It wasn't an issue anyway, Russell was there.

Then there was the whole issue with him suddenly kissing her. It had come as a complete shock to her, and quite obviously it had also startled Gary himself. He ran off after all! And didn't even bother to respond to her when she called out after him. And now he was going to do one of his disappearing acts again, and not appear unless he absolutely had to. Well she knew that being seen with Gary would potentially risk her friendship with both Christy and Jimmy and she couldn't take that chance. She did not want to loose either of them as friends which left only one option

She needed to stay as far away from Gary Smith as possible.


	16. The Date

**_Author's Notes: Okay so there's a little bit of Petey and also a tiny bit of romance in this chapter, since a couple of you requested it so I granted it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, took awhile to write and make up my mind how i wanted it...Any criticism or ideas and suggestions you want to give me feel free too. School HAS STARTED AGAIN so you may have to wait a teensy bit longer than usual for an update (just not about 6 months god that was bad APOLOGIES)_  


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**Chapter 16 - The Date**

The bell had rang to signal the end of the school day, and Chantelle was thankful that Math class was finally over. Picking up her equipment and books, she left the classroom noting as usual that Gary Smith was yet again absent. This was now a very regular occurence and she did not expect anything less from him, going to class was obviously a very trivial thing for the psychopath when he could be doing something more useful with his time such as his plotting and scheming to take over the school. She walked passed Mr. Hattrick who seemed to have been writing some sort of essay during the entire class and didn't appear to mind the class just disappearing without his permission first. Chantelle was the first to push her way out of the classroom, and waited for a few minutes for Christy who was still looking happy even though Math was one of her least favourite subjects.

"Hey, how incredibly boring was that lesson." Christy said shortly, pushing her flaming red hair out of her eyes and observing her friend. "You look really tired," She started, as they began their journey to the outside. Students were flitting up and down the corridors, conversing or otherwise bullying others. Chantelle saw Trent Northwick stuff Bucky Pasteur into a locker before she turned to Christy to make a response.

"I'm always tired." She said trying to sound light-hearted and casual. She gave a small smile before continuing. "I guess I've just had stuff on my mind, mainly whether or not I was going to come back to his dump next year." She lied, folding her arms over her math textbooks and staring straight ahead, watching as Algernon stumbled by looking aggravated and embarassed.

"You're thinking about leaving!?" Christy said, the smile suddenly vanishing and being replaced with a look of horror. "Oh, no you can't go! Oh please you can't go, I mean you're the only true friend I have around here."

"I don't think my parents would want to pay for somewhere else anyway," Chantelle added quickly, seeing the shock on her best friends face. "I mean, they paid alot to get me into Bullworth in the first place, and to move me again would mean more trouble for them...And I don't think they would want to go through that again." She shrugged, descending down the steps and narrowly avoiding Ethan Robinson as he slid down the banister away from a running Prefect.

"This school is crazy enough though." Christy said quietly, a sigh escaping past her lips. "I don't really blame you for wanting to leave, I hated this shit-hole when I first got here. I guess after awhile you just get used to it. You have to get used to it." They had finally reached the double doors, making a quick exit so they were outside in the bitter cold.

December had finally arrived at Bullworth Academy, the sky was a deep murky grey and there was a flurry of snow now settling in layers on the ground. There was a very slight breeze that made the temperature drop a few more degrees, meaning that the students were now walking around with plenty of layers on, but it also meant that snowball fights were breaking out whenever and wherever.

"It's bloody freezing!" Christy muttered, keeping her head down to avoid her face getting whipped by the harsh wind. "I hate it in winter, it's all about snowball fights and sub zero temperatures."

And just to seemingly prove her point, a snowball came hurtling towards them but luckily missed Chantelle by just inches. She turned around looking quite irritated and saw one of the Preps staring at her, another snowball crammed into his gloved hand. He straightened up and gave her a small smile, which she did not return. However, rather than shouting at him for being a complete jerk, she turned her back on him and continued towards the Girl Dormitory where she could get wrapped up in a decent amount of clothing to remain warm. She didn't fancy staying inside for the rest of the day, not when she just had several hours of both Math and Geography.

"I told you, they turn into complete animals all over again. When the snow goes, they tone down again but that's going to be awhile yet." Christy sighed and pushed open the dormitory doors, holding them open so Chantelle could follow inside. The warmth that greeted them was welcoming and Chantelle could already feel it sinking into the bare skin.

"Oh, damn. Chantelle I don't wish to just leave you but Davis wanted to take me down to that Burger Joint for something to eat. It's our first date since we got together and that was a week ago."

"Hmm, that's fine." She said smiling, still thinking that Christy and Davis were a very cute couple, although she had heard Christy muttering about Ricky last night. "You go ahead and meet him, I'll be fine."

Christy nodded, gave her friend a smile before disappearing back outside, letting in a chilly wind before the door snapped shut. Chantelle watched her leave before going in to her dorm room and fishing out some warmer clothes. She kept her green pleated Bullworth skirt on, with white tights and blach shoes, but over her white shirt she put on her green Bullworth vest, a short black trench coat that all the girls seemed to be wearing nowadays, and with that, a matching pair of gloves, hat and scarf. Now prepared for the bitterly cold weather, she left her dorm room and walked straight into Pinky Gauthier.

Pinky was wearing a very vivid pink zip-up sweater, with a matching hat and pair of gloves, and after looking quite scandalised that Chantelle wasn't paying any attention to where she was going, she suddenly looked quite happy.

"Ooh, this is perfect. You know, I was just going to go looking for you too." She said, the smile never wavering as she instinctively dusted off her Aquaberry coat almost as though Chantelle had passed on some sort of bacterial disease by touching her. Looking curious, Chantelle waited for Pinky to continue what she was going to say or ask her.

"Well, you see I am very close to my Aquaberry fellows as you very well know and I was talking to one of them yesterday and they seemed to have their beady little eye on you my friend." Pinky added cheerfully, throwing her head back and looking fairly amused. "So of course, being the nice girl that I am, I wanted to make the situation a little easier for my fellow friend and come straight to you to organise a little match-making."

Chantelle looked quite amused as she tried her best to hide the smirk that was appearing on her face. She didn't think this was going to be an extraordinarily good idea whatsoever, but maybe it could help Jimmy with dealing with those Preps once and for all...After they tried to steal his trophy off him a couple of days after the bike race, Jimmy had fended them off yet again with the help of Ricky and Jimmy was in no mood to celebrate. He was severely pissed.

"Who is it?" She asked, trying to sound curious.

"Oh, I think we can keep that a surprise until you go on your little date." Pinky said, sounding awfully cheery at this point. "He said if you accepted, he would meet you at the restaurant near the Aquaberry Store at about 6. He knew you probably wouldn't be able to spend too much on the exquisite food there so he's offered to pay for you...So don't let him down now will you my dear. Oh, you have a good date." She said before strutting off, the smile still permanetly plastered on her face.

Rolling her eyes, Chantelle followed her down the stairs making sure she kept a fairly decent distance between herself and the Preppy Princess, she didn't feel like encasing herself in her sickly girly tones for much longer. She ignored Mandy Wiles who was staring at Chantelle with the same snobbish look she gave every girl as she sat in the corner of the dorm with a can of soda in her hand.

She had an hour or so to spare before she had to meet this unknown Prep at the restaurant, giving that she actually knew where it was. She had been at Bullworth for several months yet but she still didn't know where everything was, and Bullworth town wasn't exactly huge. I guess the idea of walking aimlessly around didn't appeal to Chantelle. However, at this moment in time she didn't really have anything to do and therefore thought it would be a brilliant time to go and do a bit of exploring.

Walking out of the gates she spotted Peter Kowalski looking a little nervous, and continually peering over his shoulder. Chantelle found this quite pitiful as he walked alone and she considered for a few seconds whether or not she should go and talk to him since the majority of their previous meetings hadn't been particularly memorable. She thought that if he was Jimmy's friend, she might as well make some sort of effort towards the poor guy. However, even though she was usually confident it took her a few seconds to gain the courage to approach him.

"Afternoon." Chantelle said quietly when she had finally reached him.

Petey glanced upwards looking extremely nervous. But the expression slid off his face as he saw Chantelle and he looked like he just wanted the ground to swallow him up and take him away from her.

"Erm, look Pete I know we haven't had the best chats in the past and I know you don't even consider me a friend...Well sorry." She said quickly, folding her arms over her chest and now avoiding Kowalski's gaze. "I didn't mean to push you around and stuf, I guess you have enough of that from Smith." Chantelle stopped speaking as soon as Constantinos came into ear-shot, riding slowly past them on his bike.

"You're apologising?" Petey asked, looking quite surprised now. He put his bare hands into his pockets and looked at her expectantly.

"Yes I'm apologising. Truth be told, you didn't deserve any of the shit I gave you over the past few months, not when you were getting it off Gary too and I'm sorry if I made life just that bit harder for you. You didn't deserve it and well I just wanted to forget that past and start afresh? You and Jimmy are mates and well if Jimmy approves then I guess I should make an effort rather then threaten you...So whaddya say? Friends?" She asked, sticking out her hand and hoping that he would agree although she couldn't see him saying no.

"Sure...Friends." He said sticking out his own hand to give her a hand shake. She gave him a smile and glanced down at her watch. "Well I gotta get going, have to meet someone up at Bullworth Vale unfortunately. Catch you around." She grinned and turned her back on him, walking the opposite way towards the bridge that led across to the Vale whilst listening to Petey say his goodbyes.

She had approximately 30 minutes to get to this fancy restaurant and she only briefly had some idea on where it was. She passed the Glass Jaw Boxing Club and continued until she was standing in front of the cinema, where there were a few people lining up outside. Glancing down at her watch again, she walked up the steps and gave a sigh of relief, finally spotting the Aquaberry Store to the right. Luckily there were no Preps hanging about outside, in fact she hadn't spotted a Prep since walking past the Glass Jaw. She took a seat at one of the outside tables and glanced around again. She severely hoped this wasn't some stupid pathetic joke that Pinky had set her up for or she would be showing that snob her fist.

"You made it then." Came a posh voice from behind her. He had obviously just come out of the restaurant so he had been there even earlier then her. She stood up and turned around to see who this Prep was. Even in winter, he wore an Aquaberry sweater to probably show off his wealth as well as a dark blue scarf, his black hair was smoothed down to show how clean and neat he was, and the smile he was wearing showed a perfect set of pearly whites.

"Well I can't say I was expecting you." She said, raising an eyebrow and automatically dusting her coat down before thrusting her hands into her pockets. "I don't mean to sound nasty or anything...Just a matter of opinion." Chantelle added hastily, seeing the happy expression beginning to sag on Parker's face. Even if the kid wasn't one of Derby's closest associates (she believed that Tad Spencer or Chad were the two that were closer) he was still a god damn Prep and therefore a potential key to a pathway to helping Jimmy. She put on a fake smile and flashed it at Parker who returned it quickly.

"I don't want to offend you or anything, but I'm not really that hungry...I had something earlier you see." Chantelle explained, folding her arms over her chest to keep herself warm from the biting cold. "I thought we could...I dunno take a walk around the park instead?"

The actual truth was that Chantelle definitely didn't want to be getting all intimate inside a romanctic restaurant with a Prep she barely knew. No doubt it was going to be incredibly awkward but what the hell would they talk about. Therefore a little bit of improvising and a few seconds later they were walking down the road towards the closest entrance to the park. The both of them now looked slightly more nervous then before. For one, Chantelle was a little scared in case Jimmy decided to come pedalling around the corner to see them two together and that wouldn't put him in the best of moods, especially since Hopkins was enemies with every single one of the scrawny idiots. And Parker seemed terrified that the Preps would see them together and probably beat the crap out of him for consorting with someone who wasn't his cousin, or wasn't an Aquaberry snob.

Once they were walking around the thankfully deserted park, Parker found the courage to start a conversation. He cleared his throat loudly and turned to Chantelle who still had her arms folded as though she was defending herself from some terrible spirit.

"You know, I have to say I have had my eye on you for some time now." He began, wearing a smile that signalled he was on the point of having a nervous breakdown. It appeared that this chap definitely didn't have much confidence when it came to girls. "Ever since that Hopkins boy was boxing...When I saw you I just knew there was something about you, something special."

Chantelle's cheeks were slowly turning a deeper shade of pink as they walked past a couple of ugly gnomes. She bit her lip but looked straight ahead, for some reason she didn't feel like staring him out right now.

"I know you and Hopkins are friends of course, so I knew this would be an extremely difficult situation. I couldn't exactly approach you when you were hanging around with that thug or I would have..."

"Excuse me, Jimmy Hopkins is my friend just like you established. I would rather you not talk to him like that, not in my company." Chantelle said, mocking the stupid formal and posh accent the Preps used. This time she did look at Parker who was flushing violently and seemed to have lost track on what he was saying. It turned silent again as they did another lap around the park.

"Apologies." Parker finally muttered, fiddling with his scarf and looking down at the snow on the ground. He cleared his throat again to try and regain some of the little confidence he had. "Well anyway, I wanted to get to know you like I said and well Parker accidentally read a letter I had screwed up in Harrington House and decided to help me out. You see it is very unusual for Pinky to help anyone but herself. I agreed at any rate, told her to tell you to meet me at The Empreror with all expenses paid by me."

"Very clever," Chantelle added sarcastically but it appeared as though Parker had not heard the sarcastic tone in her voice and actually though it was a compliment. He smiled and bowed his head at her whilst muttering some form of thank you.

They roamed around the park for at least another ten minutes and in that time she had gained no information about any of the Preps or his beloved leader, Derby Harrington. This made her feel a little disappointed but as long as Jimmy didn't go looking for a scrap too soon, she still had time to drain some info out of Parker. This couldn't be their only date, surely.

"Oh, look at the time." Chantelle interjected suddenly, cutting Parker's long winded story about how he came to Bullworth short. She glanced at her watch just to emphasise the point before pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Looks like I'm going to have to get going, I have some thing to do before I get back to the school." She hastily added, making sure he didn't put any suggestions out about walking her back. "It has been nice I must say, sorry about the whole meal thing though."

Parker stopped and turned to her, he was now looking a lot more confident and seemed happy enough with their thirty minutes together. He put out his hand and held Chantelle's gently. Once again, Chantelle's cheeks were now beginning to turn a little pinker then usual.

"Oh we could always go out for dinner some other time, there's no rush of course." He said, giving her a geniune smile and showing off those perfectly straight teeth once again. "I agree, it has been wonderful. I picked the right decision in asking you out then."

Chantelle shrugged and was on the verge of walking away from him when the hand around hers tightened slightly, and he brought her close towards him, planting a warm kiss on her cheek. "I hope we can meet up again, very soon." He said quietly, now letting her hand drop to her side. Chantelle nodded automatically before turning on her heel and marching away as quickly as possible, aware that Parker was watching her progress and probably wouldn't start moving again unless she was out of his sight. She made a sharp turn right and exited the park, randomly walking up towards the bridge where all the sub-urban houses were.

The whole thing had come as a surprise to her, just like Gary's kiss had and to be true to herself, she wasn't very good when it came to all the romance stuff with boys. In fact she had only ever had two boyfriends in her last school and they hadn't lasted all that long, but they had of course not been as awkward and as challenging as the date with Parker. She leant against the bridge and watched a car drive slowly by, feeling the surprise and shock begin to drain away. She was almost used to the cold by now but it was still biting viciously at any exposed skin it could find. She was on the verge of walking back up to the school when she heard a voice that made her insides turn even colder.

"Whoring yourself up to the Preps now are you?"

Glancing sideways, Chantelle closed her eyes against the imposer hoping that he would just fade away as long as she wished hard enough. When she opened her cerulean eyes again she saw that (without any surprise) that he was still standing there, leaning against the bridge and looking casual.

"I thought you might have heightened your standards after turning that low-life Hopkins down." Smith said coldly, his gaze never ever moving from the girl standing in front of him. Chatnelle noted once again that Gary Smith did not blink as much as other people.

"Go away _Smith_. I don't want to talk to you." Chantelle shot back, equally as bitter.

Gary gave her a small, fake laugh before beginning to approach her. Almost automatically Chantelle took several steps back and was now fully facing him. She looked slightly intimitaded but when she spoke her voice was confident and venemous.

"You come any closer and I swear to god I'll kick you in the balls."

That stopped him in his tracks but instead of looking shocked or surprised, he simply looked amused and this seemed to aggravate Chantelle even worse. The sociopath decided to approach her anyway, just for his own amusement and yet again Chantelle immediately took a few more steps back.

"Feisty, you learning to fight back? Was it something that dear old Hopkins has taught you to do?" Gary Smith asked, appearing to only want to irritate Chantelle, get under her skin. "Tell me, Chantelle. What does it feel like to be kissed by a complete idiot and a pathetic little trust-fund baby? I bet you feel proud, do you feel as though you accompolished something? Because in all honesty, it is nothing to be proud of. Nothing at all."

"Oh, so why don't _you_ tell me something then, Smith." Chantelle spat poisonously, her hands clenching into fists. "Why did you lower _yourself_ to go ahead and kiss me!?"

Gary looked momentarily stunned, but he regained his composture and was about to make his retort when Chantelle cut across him almost instantly.

"You know what just leave me alone Gary. All you do is mess me around and frankly I'm so god damn sick of it."

And with that, Chantelle turned on her heel and moved quickly down the pavement, away from Gary Smith realising for the first time she had managed to be the one who walked away.


	17. Schemes

_**Author's Notes: I think I'll give you permission to now kill me for my huge absence xD. I am so sorry. I've been incredibly stressed and my A-Levels are beginning to drive my just about insane, so I started writing again and it has calmed me down a lot. Anyway, this chapter might not be up to my usual standards so I do apologise if it isn't. It's basically a summary-type chapter that just gives you the reader a brief refresher into what has happened between Chantelle and Gary so far, as well as progressing the story. It's a little shorter then usual too..**_

_**Read&Review and I'll love you forever :)**_

**Chapter 17 - Schemes**

Christmas was edging closer and closer, and the school term was coming to an end (not that anybody really went to lessons anymore). Decorations had been put up in and around school, attempting to inject a little bit of festive spirit into the students at Bullworth. This included pieces of old tinsel, malfunctioning coloured lights and lopsided trees covered in dinted baubles and topped off with filthy, chipped angels and broken stars. None of this actually surprised Chantelle in the slightest, Bullworth might have plenty of money stashed away due to the amount they charge for student admissions but it seemed as though none of it went on to actually maintaining the school. Plus, on top of it all, it felt as though the heating inside the school had gone bust because people were walking around with their coats, gloves, hats and scarves on and their breath coming out as mist.

After briefly staring in disgust at one of the crappy Christmas trees that Ms. Danvers had spent the afternoon putting up, she felt a hand on her arm giving her a bit of a shock. Her head snapped round and she saw a curtain of flaming red hair, but her best friend didn't at all look impressed. Her lips were pursed in an attempt at a pout and her brow was furrowed, and to top it all off she also had her arms crossed over with her foot tapping impatiently on the dirty tiled floors.

"Ah, what have I done now Christy?" Chantelle asked quietly as she began to walk, wanting to get away from the grubby tree that she truly believed was infested with something...

"Gone on a date! That's what!" Christy said in outrage, mercifully keeping her tones low as they descended the stairs. "And to add to that...A bloody Prep! A bloody god damn Prep! What were you thinking Chantelle? If Jimmy finds out..."

Chantelle could have stopped her any time she had wanted, but she preferred to let Christy blow off steam and calm herself down she was much easier to talk to then. Once Christy had let out a small frustrated sigh and turned her pink-tinged face to Chantelle, that was when she decided it would be safe to explain.

"If Jimmy finds out, then I'll tell him the exact same thing I'm going to tell you...And yes Christy this is the complete truth. One hundred percent." Chantelle added calmly as they exited the school and stood out on the snow-covered grounds of Bullworth. It seemed as though half the school were hanging around here, having a snowball fight or fighting and throwing people into dustbins and Chantelle knew they had very little worry of being overheard.

"Pinky found me yesterday and told me that a Prep wanted to meet me, so I agreed to it but not because I actually like these Preps but because I thought it would be useful in the long-term."

"How do you figure that one out?" Christy asked, not exactly using the intelligent brain that Chantelle was used too, or the scheming one at that. "I mean, Jimmy hates those trust-fund babies...How would it...Oh..."

Nodding along with Christy's acknowledgement, they descended more steps whilst holding on to the banister to avoid slipping on the ice and snow. "Yes, that's right. I thought it would help Jimmy in his on-going battle with the Preps, so to speak. So I made my way down to Old Bullworth Vale to meet whatever Prep had his '_beady little eye on me_' and turns out it was Parker Ogilive."

"Parker!? Oh now even I wasn't expecting that," Christy added, ducking automatically as a snowball the size of a football came hurtling past her head. "I thought maybe Tad or even Justin...But Parker? He's such a...A nervous wreck? I dunno he's never good around girls."

"My thoughts exactly. I think I offended him a little when I sort of voiced my surprise, but I had to keep all sweet and stuff, didn't want the date to be over before it had even begun. He wanted us to go eat inside the Emperor." Chantelle saw the expression on Christy's face and smiled a little. "No I didn't agree to that...It would have been too intimate and up close for me to handle that. Instead we went for a little stroll around the park...That was uncomfortable too but at least it wasn't staring at one other across a table."

They had reached the Girls Dormitory now and had avoided the chaos that the Prefects seemed unable to put a stop to and had avoided being smacked with snowballs. Christy had been a fairly good listener and was about to comment before Chantelle continued her little story.

"We didn't talk much, he said something about Jimmy and I sort of snapped at him which made us lapse into silence again...Then he started rambling on about how he came to Bullworth and I made an excuse to get out of there and fast. I knew he wasn't going to go spilling information about his Preppy friends and their beloved leader, Harrington so it was pointless."

"Did he not get offended at you wanting to leave so quickly?" Christy asked as they walked into their dorm room and quickly closed the door behind them so they could finish their conversation.

"Nope, or at least he didn't act it. Instead he grabbed my hand and planted one on my cheek, he seemed eager for our next date but I didn't make any arrangements, and I'm pretty sure I didn't make myself sound that interested but I'm sure he'll be hounding Pinky soon."

Christy was now sat on the edge of her bed with her head resting on her hand looking at her best friend intently. Chantelle gave her a hesitant smile, hoping that she wouldn't press her for any further details, she certainly wasn't planning on telling her about her and Gary's little meeting.

"You know, I never thought you'd have it in you," Christy smirked, still seemingly examining her friend as they sat opposite one another. "You're like the innocent one at Bullworth, the goody-two shoes to be precise. Always in lessons, completing homework, mostly nice to the other students..."

"Got to keep up appearances though don't you?" Chantelle responded, returning the grin politely and laying back on her unusually comfortable bed. "It's exactly what you said, who would expect the goody-two shoes to do anything like this. To be plotting against someone...I'm practically taking advantage of someone else's feelings."

"Oh Chan, don't be so soft. Those Preps are complete asses, and they sort of deserve something to actually go wrong for them, their social standing needs to go down a few steps and you are the perfect person to stir their perfect little lives."

Chantelle stared up at the ceiling of her room and let out a small sigh, of course what Christy was saying made sense and she hadn't forgotten what those Preps were doing to Jimmy but she wasn't the kind of person that did this sort of stuff...Taking advantage of somebody else's feelings, scheming and plotting...Even back-stabbing. It reminded her painfully of Gary Smith, and she didn't want to ever be compared against him.

"I can't exactly promise anything, I mean I'll try to get information from him but I can't be forward with it all or he'll just get suspicious and my plan will just backfire. Parker expects me to be interested in him, and only him. If I start asking about Tad or Justin, or Derby he's just going to wonder why right?"

"Not necessarily..." Christy began, her eyes looking down at the floor as she progressed in to deep thought. "The Preps _are_ a part of Parker, he's a proud supporter of the Aquaberry flag is he not? I'm sure he would jump at the chance to big up his leader and his other fellows, discretion is advised though, you're probably right about having to spend a lot of time with him, getting to know him and stuff...But in the end won't it be worth it?"

Sitting back up, Chantelle's gaze settled temporarily on Christy who was grinning back at her, her eyes glinting in a somewhat malicious way which made her feel uncomfortable. Those sort of stares made her briefly remember what Christy had been like before she had settled down a bit with Davis. The time where she was a little unstable, and muttered things in her sleep...Something she never wanted to go back too.

"Don't get your hopes up Christy." Chantelle said shortly, "I don't want you to think about this any further okay? It's up to me now, I'll keep you informed and stuff but keep your mind on other things like Davis."

Christy shrugged and stood up, pulling her scarf more firmly around her neck and pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Yeah sure, just make sure that you _do_ keep me informed this time, I don't want to have to come rushing around searching for you...And to be quite honest I'm shocked that Jimmy doesn't already know."

"He'll find out sooner or later, maybe he already does and is just refusing to speak to me, avoiding me and stuff." Chantelle interjected, running a hand through her hair. "You never know, Jimmy is unpredictable."

Buttoning up her coat, Christy nodded in silent agreement, "Well it's been lovely to catch-up, but you reminded me, I've got to go find Davis. I heard from one of his friends that he had something for me..." She looked incredibly cheerful at this like a little kid in a candy store, all the manic gleam in her eyes moments ago had completely vanished and as she left the room. Chantelle felt relieved.

But other then Christy, there was one other major thing nagging at the back of her mind. Gary Smith, and that no matter how much she tried to justify her future actions she couldn't help but feel similarities between herself and him. These thoughts alone made her stomach turn uncomfortably.

Everything that had happened over the past few months were seemingly coming back in flashes of vivid images, and making her feel more nauseous. The detention that her and Gary served together was the first to come flooding back in a blur of colour and sound; him grabbing at her wrist and snapping her back, the cold tone of his voice and the deadly look in his eyes...

This was almost instantaneously followed by the memory of Gary Smith dragging her towards the Boy's Dormitory without even being seen. How he had forced her inside his dorm room and started muttering away, shouting at her, pushing her against the door talking about secrets and plans.

Halloween was a completely different matter, it was a more enjoyable memory of course watching people getting constantly pranked and dressing up in ridiculous costumes but also having fun. Also, for the first time in weeks she had seen Gary Smith looking quite calm and content, it was nothing compared to what she had witnessed before-hand and things had started clicking into place. She was beginning to figure the sociopath out and Chantelle knew Gary didn't like it.

Then came the meeting that actually meant something, where Gary had revealed some of his personal feelings to her. It had taken her losing her temper and throwing books at him to make him open up to her a little but he had done so and this in itself had surprised her and knocked her off her pedestal at least for a little while. Her thoughts and feelings seemed to be permanently on him from then on, during classes, during her time spent inside the library or anytime that she was left on her own really. His plans and ideas kept reverberating inside her head, and she was counting down the days until he would finally put them into action.

It finally came to a head when he arranged the entire school to witness the fight between Russell and Jimmy. Mercifully, Jimmy had won the fight without sustaining too much damage and Gary had revealed his backstabbing ways to the whole school and to Jimmy, making an instant and dangerous enemy. And from then on she knew that she would be in dangerous territory whenever they met (which seem to be when it suited him). She didn't want to get on the wrong side of Jimmy, they were close friends and she wanted to keep it that way. Plus they had received a few useful allies in the form of Russell and his fellow cronies.

But then Chantelle suddenly sat bolt upright on her bed when their little moment behind the lighthouse burst into her mind with force. The brief few seconds where they stood staring at each other in the biting cold after listening to the fight break out on the beach followed by the rough, powerful kiss that he placed directly on her lips without a second thought...And the look of shock plastered across his face almost mirroring her before he made a sharp exit without giving her a backwards look.

"What the hell are you doing to me Gary...I'll never be like you..." Chantelle whispered to herself as she sat at the end of her bed with her head in her hands, rubbing her tired itching eyes. "I'll never ever be like you..."

A loud knock came from the door making her jump to her feet whilst her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. She was gripping the material of her coat quite tightly without even realising it and when the knock came again she relaxed a little and crossed the room to see who would be disturbing her thoughts.

Once she had opened the door, she managed to keep in her sigh as she saw the Aquaberry Princess stood in front of her with a smug little grin on her face.

"The date must've gone well then yes?" Pinky asked, folding her arms against her pink coat and looking particularly happy with herself. "He's been nagging me for hours to come and find you, he wants to see you again."

Chantelle also managed to refrain from rolling her eyes, and instead she mirrored Pinky and crossed her arms over her coat watching intently. This was the time to make a choice, would she go against her nature and agree to another date, scheming against the Preps and making herself feel that more like Gary...Or she could disagree and potentially hurt Parker Ogilive but keep herself feeling like...Well herself.

"C'mon Chantelle, I don't have all day. You either want to go have dinner with him at the Emperor or you don't." Pinky said shortly, her smile faltering a little.

"Erm, yeah...Yeah of course I'll go." Chantelle responded quietly, a pink flush creeping up into her cheeks whilst a sinking feeling spread into her stomach. The smile on Pinky's face came back in full force and she pulled out a slip of paper from inside her pocket before turning on her heel and walking off.

Closing the door and finally letting out a loud sigh, she sat back down on her bed and ran a hand through her messy blonde hair before unfolding the letter, mentally preparing herself for what was on it.

_Chantelle,_

_I hope you receive this letter, it means you agreed to our date. If you do then I am truly ecstatic to be able to meet up with you again._

_Let's go with Saturday, I'll meet you at 6 at the Emperor_

_Maybe we'll actually get to eat this time._

_Yours;_

_Parker x_


	18. Ivan and the Emperor

**Chapter 18 – Ivan and the Emperor **

Saturday seemed to approach quite quickly and between the short space of time that Chantelle had read Parker's letter and the day set for their next date, she had barely anytime to think about what she was doing and the possible consequences that her actions could lead to. She had practically spent the remainder of the week locked up in her dormitory room, only going out to have something to eat with Jimmy or Christy. The main reason for this was because she didn't want to see Gary Smith and she knew herself that he wouldn't dare enter the Girl's Dormitory...It was practically a 'No Man's Land'. The other reason was due to the fact that she was trying to prepare herself for her and Parker's next meeting and needed to think about what she was going to ask, what she was going to talk about and it was a lot harder than what she first thought.

Now she was laid on her bed with a notebook in front of her and a pen clenched in her left hand. Several pieces of paper had already been torn out and screwed up, and were now scattered around her bed, however she had succeeded in writing an extremely lengthy letter and was now re-reading it with a glum expression on her face. The letter was for her friend back in her old school, whom she had had very little contact with since she had left. Now that Chantelle had sat down and thought about things, she was beginning to feel a little homesick and she missed the friends that she had to leave behind when they moved.

Christy had been an incredibly good friend from the moment they started hanging around with one another, but she couldn't replace the people she had lost no matter how brilliant she thought the girl was. Even more surprising was that Jimmy Hopkins had proved to be another amazing friend, and was always there for her whenever she was feeling a bit down or had some problems that needed talking out...And yet for the entire duration of Chantelle's friendship with both Christy and Jimmy, she would not talk about the things going off behind their backs, the events that had happened between Gary and Chantelle. And the thing that was going on with Parker Ogilive, she wouldn't pain herself in telling Jimmy _that_ story until it was completely necessary.

Sometimes it appeared right to keep some things a secret.

Carefully tearing the letter from her notebook, Chantelle looked over it again and smiled grimly before folding it up and scrummaging around in her drawers until she found a small stack of envelopes. She had bought these from the convenience store in Bullworth and had meant to write the letter for a few weeks now but it seemed as though something always came up when she was willing enough to sit down and do it. Fitting it gently into the envelope, she sealed it turned it over and finally added the address and the name and then put it back on her bed.

Deciding on whether or not she should send the letter, she finally stood up and put on her coat and scarf, picked up her hat then stowed the letter carefully into her pocket. It wasn't really a long walk from the school to the nearest mail box but she guessed it would be nice to have a bit of time outside her room.

It was still freezing outside, but the snow had subsided at least for the meantime. The Sun had chosen to make its first weak appearance after hiding behind the thick clouds for the last three weeks. Putting her hat on and sorting out her hair so it draped over her shoulders she set off towards the gates without looking around at what was going on around her. Instead her thoughts were elsewhere, varying from Gary Smith to her not-yet forgotten friends and then settling on going home for Christmas. It was one thing that Chantelle was really looking forward to, being able to get away from Bullworth for a couple of weeks. Of course she would miss Jimmy and Christy, but this school (and Gary Smith) were beginning to take its toll.

Briefly, Chantelle stopped walking as she came to the gates and observed as a male student rode by slowly on his bike. The snow on the roads had been turned into grey slush and he seemed to be increasingly wary on something as his eyes travelled from the road in front of him towards the gates where he caught Chantelle looking over at him. The bike wobbled a little as he turned his focus back on the road which was a shame, since one of the Bullies who had been walking out of the parking lot chose that time to scramble towards him and throw him off it. The unlucky student got a face full of cold snow whilst the other student took off with the bike laughing loudly, a noise that seemed to echo in Chantelle's ears.

Sighing, Chantelle walked towards the unfortunate kid and knelt down beside him as he wiped his face on the sleeve of his coat. She had seen him around before, but didn't really know him by name but she felt awful for just standing by and watching the entire scene unfold.

"Erm...Are you okay?" Chantelle asked quietly, before offering him a hand to help him up. It was almost as though he was expecting another attack and he recoiled away from her voice before realising he wasn't in any further harm. Chantelle felt increasingly sorry for this guy, and left her arm extended waiting for him to take it...Which eventually he did.

"I'm okay...Well now at least. I thought they would have done more than just go off on my bike," He said as he wiped himself clean of snow although there were now wet patches all over his coat and jeans from where the snow had already melted. "I'm Ivan, by the way. I don't believe we've ever been introduced. You're Chantelle, right?"

"Yeah. That's right," Chantelle asked a little bemused as they then shook hands. "How did you know who I was?"

"Classes. You're like one of the only students in the school that attend most classes regularly. Me, Constantinos and Ray are amongst the others...That's excluding the Nerds. I guess you don't really pay much attention to other people when your in lesson."

"Not really, my attention is just focused on work. It helps me take my mind of things, it's probably one of the main reasons why I _do _go to lesson. That and the fact that I just want to prove everyone wrong, the teachers, Crabblesnitch, my parents..." Chantelle had began to walk now, down towards Bullworth town and Ivan decided on walking with her. They trudged through the snow until the crossed the road on to the side-walk.

"Do they not think you can pass this grade?" Ivan asked, raising his eyebrows as he turned his head to look at her. His cheeks and nose were both bright red, the poor guy was probably half-way to freezing to death and yet he still walked along-side her.

"Well they have the teachers and Crabblesnitch both have extremely low expectations of everybody in this school. It isn't really hard to guess why, what with half the school truanting and continuous fighting and shit. And my parents...I dunno I guess they just never had faith in me to do well. They believed they did really well at school, college and University or whatever so now they just don't give a damn. It's all about them and barely anything about me."

"Woah. That's like, harsh."

"I guess it was a few years back. It's happened so often that I'm beginning to get used to it, as sad as that seems. I used to come home with A-Grades and they used to congratulate me in such a fake way. There was a pat on the back and that's about it." Chantelle shrugged at Ivan's shocked expression and gave him a weak smile. "As I said, I learnt to adjust. I took my A-Grades and filed them instead. It was nice to see my achievements all in one place."

"That sounds terrible...No offence aimed at your or anything..." Ivan seemed either lost for words or he had refrained from what he was about to say. Silence lapsed over them as they crossed the bridge and walked towards the convenience store.

"So how come they decided to stick you at Bullworth?"

Chantelle looked across at him and gave him another weak smile which he returned before she started speaking again, "We moved just before the new school term started and Bullworth was the closest to where we lived...It's still some distance away though. Buses don't really pass through either which is shit too. I have to rely on my parents as usual, and well...If they dumped me at this place it just shows that they really desire my company right?" Chantelle rolled her eyes before finally eyeing a blue mail box up ahead. "What about you?"

"My Mom thought this school was actually a decent school, what with the admission fee you have to fork out. I don't think she even bothered to take a tour to see how awfully wrong she was. I tried to persuade my Mom to take me elsewhere once I saw what she had entered me in for, I even tried talking to my Dad...They've split up you see...But they weren't having any of it. They just thought I was being awkward. I've moved schools a few times. I've gotten used to it here now, well sort of. I've made some good friends."

Pulling out the letter in the pale white envelope, Chantelle slipped it inside the mail-box whilst listening to Ivan's story. Nodding her head to ensure that she was still listening to him, she closed the box and they started heading back towards the school almost automatically.

"I've made a couple of good friends too. Of course if I was to move away again I'd miss them incredibly, but I miss the ones I already left behind...And I doubt I'll be going anywhere soon. Not with the way my parents are. They only moved here because of a stupid job...And if I am quite honest with you, I doubt I'll ever get used to this damn school." 

Ivan gave a light-hearted laugh and he shook his head, "I thought that at the start. But then after awhile you just get used to everything that goes on around here. A Bully going off with my bike is a regular occurrence. I always get it back in the end, they don't go as far as stealing. I don't think they want to get involved in the police. They probably consider it 'borrowing'."

They were now crossing the bridge back towards the school, and Chantelle was subconsciously thinking about the upcoming meal she would have to have with Parker. Ivan had been an extremely good distraction, in fact he was incredibly good to talk to in general.

"I'd be pretty pissed off if I was shoved head-first into the snow, then to turn around to see that my bike had been taken." Chantelle added raising a single eyebrow. "I'd probably chase them before they had chance to pick up speed and drag them back off it. There _is _a thing called asking." 

They both started laughing at this, probably for no real reason. The comment hadn't been all that funny but it felt good to laugh, to let herself go a little. It had been awhile since she had been able to just relax properly. Everything recently had been so uptight and serious and it was becoming all too stressful.

When they had finally reached the gates, the two of them faced one another again both still smiling.

"Well it's been really good talking to you," Chantelle started, extending her hand again. "It would be nice if we could do it again. It makes a difference from talking to the same two people."

Taking her hand, he shook it gently and nodded in agreement. "Yeah we should, it's been nice. You make a change from my usual crew."

Going their separate ways, Chantelle turned off towards the Girl's Dormitory, Ivan towards the Boy's. Looking down at her watch, her stomach dropped as she established the fact that it was indeed time to start getting ready for her 'date'.

–

"Well Chantelle, I am so glad you could make it."

Chantelle had only just sat down at their designated table which was situated at the back of the restaurant in a secluded space away from the other customers. It had seemed as though every pair of eyes had been on her as the waiter guided her to their table whilst sickly romantic music played in the background. Taking off her coat, Parker's face brightened up and a large grin stretched across his lips.

"And you are wearing the sweater I bought you...How delightful."

Once Chantelle had gone back to her room, she had found the Aquaberry sweater wrapped up in brown paper and topped off with a purple bow in the middle of her bed. There was a note attached to it and she didn't even have to read it to know who it was from and even what it might be. To be quite honest, she had been expecting something like this because her own attire wouldn't quite suffice in a snobbish restaurant like The Emperor.

"I thought it would have only been fitting to wear it tonight. I take it that's what you were expecting anyway," Chantelle added as she picked up the menu that had been delivered to them avoiding eye contact.

Parker raised his eyebrow and was temporarily stumped for words, but all of this was missed by Chantelle who had now shoved her menu in front of her face. Of course she was attempting to weedle information out of the unsuspecting Prep, and being rude was certainly not the way to go about it but sometimes it was hard to stop things just escaping from your mouth.

"It is certainly a very...Comfortable sweater." Chantelle said quietly, lowering the menu a little so she could see over the top and therefore identify what sort of expression the Prep was wearing.

Regaining his composure, Parker plastered on another large grin and nodded his head as his eyes wandered from her face to the blue argyle sweater. They lingered there momentarily before he looked back up into her eyes.

"The colour does indeed suit you Chantelle. I must say, you most certainly do look fabulous in Aquaberry. I believe this was a very good investment after all."

"So you were having doubts?" Chantelle asked almost immediately, literally jumping down his throat. Parker's smile however did not disappear from his face and he leant casually back in his chair.

"Of course not, well not about you. I was beginning to believe that you weren't going to show up tonight though. I know how...Different the Emperor is to what you are probably used to." Parker responded, tracing his finger down his own menu in a practised way almost as though he had done this a hundred times or more.

Pretending to not be offended by this comment, Chantelle gave him her best false smile and shrugged her shoulders. "No I can't say I am used to being in a restaurant with another boy. And I suppose you aren't all too familiar with hanging out with girls that aren't Pinky either. But I guess that's Derby's rules about not hanging around with people that aren't associated with Aquaberry."

"Don't be silly," Parker said heartily, turning silent as they were again joined by the waiter who was now waiting on them to take their orders.

"Spaghetti Bolognase please." Chantelle said automatically, looking from Parker to the waiter with another one of her false smiles.

"I'll have the marinated chicken with extra fries please. Oh and two cokes please," Parker finished handing back the two menus. Once the waiter had disappeared back in to the kitchens their attention were turned back onto each other.

"So what is he actually like then, that great leader of yours?" Chantelle asked slowly, trying not to act too surreptitiously. She didn't want him to get any sort of idea on what she was attempting to do. She hadn't even told Jimmy what she was attempting to do yet.

"Oh he is simply an amazing individual. It is why we look up to him so much. He has extensive knowledge on various things...Hide-outs, secret pathways, student profiles. I could go on of course but I doubt you would want me to linger on the subject of Derby Harrington. I know you have a bit of distaste when it comes to us Preps. It is why I was so reluctant to approach you in person. In fact it is why I didn't tell you immediately who I was."

"You can't really be surprised after what you guys are doing to Jimmy. He is a close friend of mine but that doesn't mean we can't socialise and be friends. Unless there is something stopping you that is?"

"Not at all. In fact Derby gave me his so called blessings. From where I'm standing it appears Derby actually likes you."

"Funny, I've never met the guy in person."

"Not a lot of people do. He is very elusive. He makes appearances only when it is necessary. When he doesn't have to show whose boss around these parts, Derby stays inside Harrington house or the Glass Jaw surrounded by his fellow Aquaberries...Of course Bif is his main man fortunately and he relies on Tad and Chad to do most of his dirty work. But I daresay with the way Jimmy is going about things, Derby will be making his presence known to him very soon."

Biting her tongue and holding back her retort, Chantelle instead watched as the waiter bustled past tables with their meals and drinks. He smiled broadly as he placed the plates in front of them, wished them a good evening, then went amongst the other tables leaving them in peace.

They decided on eating in complete silence, which was all well and good in Chantelle's eyes. If he had continued on with talking about Jimmy she probably would have lost her temper. It was _their_ fault that Jimmy was in this shit...And Gary Smith's too.

Admittedly, the food was extraordinary and she had never actually tasted anything so exquisite and delicious for a long time. She knew why the Preps would spend their money on meals like this, it was better then anything from the Burger Joint or any other place in this damned town.

"That was a really nice meal but I think I should get going. It's getting late and I really should start packing." Chantelle started, pushing her chair back from the table to get ready to stand up. However, Parker's hand grasped hers and her eyes darted towards his.

"Nonsense. You can stay for a little longer surely, you can't ruin a spectacular date by retiring early. And whatever do you need to pack for?"

"Well I am planning on going home for Christmas, if everything works out that is. My parents know when term ends so they should be coming for me in a couple of days. It would just be nice to get away from this place for a few weeks, no offence to anyone of course I just require a break. So...If you don't mind I should get going."

As Chantelle stood up and grabbed her coat, Parker also rose to his feet and he left the bill on the table with a small tip and followed her out of the restaurant. Everyone's attention was back on the two students as they weaved around tables, and the general chatter of conversation was reduced to whispering and Chantelle responded to this by rolling her eyes.

Once they were outside, Parker wrapped his arm around the girl's waist and pulled her towards him. Chantelle let out a small unexpected gasp as she was spun round to face him, her breath caught in her chest as their faces became merely inches apart and her face flushed a brilliant shade of pink. Parker brushed the blonde strands of hair out of her face and moved on to caressing her cheek which had now grown several degrees warmer.

Clearing her throat, she stared at him with a blank expression on her face whilst her cheeks still burnt several degrees warmer. "I should...I should really go." She whispered, tugging away from him a little but he held her in place.

"Don't leave me hanging for too long, I don't think I'd be able to stand it." Parker replied quietly, still caressing her cheek and smiling longingly at her. Chantelle nodded and tugged away again but this time Parker leant forward and delivered a delicate kiss on her cold lips.

This time he allowed her to leave and so Chantelle did, and quickly. It appeared that things where going to be a little more difficult then what she first thought they would be.

_**Author's Notes: It wasn't exactly rushed, but I'm thinking it would be one of those average sort of chapters. There wasn't anything too amazing or thrilling in this one, but finally Chantelle has made another new friend, it is someone you don't really see/read about often so why the hell not. Next chapter will contain more drama and action...Read&Review and I'll love you 3**_


	19. Deja Vu

**Chapter 19 – Deja Vu**

"You have got to be kidding me!?"

Chantelle was sat in the warm confines of her room standing beside the window watching as the heavy flakes of snow fell gently on the cold glass. Her hand was holding her cell phone so tightly that her knuckles were turning white and her face was beginning to grow red from the fuse that was about to set her anger off. Closing the curtain viciously she crossed the room and sat heavily on her bed, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"I've been at this damn school for...I don't care about my language Mum, this is completely unfair!" Chantelle continued, glaring at the wall opposite her with ferocity. "It's been four months, I've been stuck here for four months and now you're telling me that I can't even come home for Christmas!?"

An angry tear slid out from the corner of one of her cerulean eyes and she wiped it away quickly, not even aware that her eyes had been pricking uncomfortably until another tear slid silently down her cheek. It had been the one thing she had been looking forward too, spending some time away from the crazy shit-hole that these people called a school. Getting back to her feet she started pacing her room whilst listening to her mother jabbering on and on, giving numerous excuses and reasons why she couldn't come back home for the holidays.

"Do me a favour and stop bullshitting me. And don't bother calling me until you give a shit about your only daughter!" Chantelle snapped suddenly before flipping her phone shut and throwing it down hard on the bed. She had never sworn at her parents before in her entire life and she was too angry to actually be surprised or shocked at herself. Continuing to pace around the room for a few more seconds, Chantelle decided on getting a bit of fresh air as well as a change of scenery and ignoring the ringing and vibrating now coming from her cell phone, she grabbed her coat from her bed and walked out.

She had only just stepped out of the girl's dormitory before she was hailed by Jimmy Hopkins who looked inexplicably angry. He seized her wrist and began to drag her round the side of the building so they would be out of sight from lingering prefects and out of earshot from curious students. Chantelle wrenched her arm out of his grasp and glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing Jimmy?" Chantelle asked, her eyebrows raised as she observed him. He was very flushed and his own eyebrows were starting to knit together as they got closer and closer in an angry frown.

"What am I doing? What the fuck do you think _your_ doing hanging about with a Prep!? You know I hate their guts and they you are, being swept off your damn feet by one."

Chantelle was rendered speechless, she opened her mouth in an attempt so say something and closed it again shortly afterwards after realising she had no idea what to say to him. She could stand there and start from the very beginning but she doubted Jimmy would have the patience for that sort of thing.

"Look I was just trying to help you, I was going to pass information on to you and..."

"I don't need your help!" He spat viciously, making her edge away from him. "I can do things by my bloody self. Go off and see your Preppy boyfriend, I don't have time for this shit and I certainly don't have time for you!"

And without further ado, Jimmy Hopkins turned his back on Chantelle and marched off not even bothering to give her a glance over his shoulder. Chantelle inhaled deeply and felt tears sting at the back of her eyes.

Ignoring the heavy snow and the bitter cold, Chantelle took a stroll around the campus grounds to try and calm herself, occasionally observing what was going on around her. There was a lack of snowball fights today, which wasn't surprising because it was indeed getting a little boring and repetitive. However, there was still plenty of bullying and fighting going on...Especially regarding the Jocks.

Damon appeared to just be everywhere at once; she saw him first in the parking lot, beating up on one of the Bullies (that definitely wasn't Davis since he was out on a date with Christy somewhere). Then, as she moved towards the fountain she saw him a second time, trying to shove a Greaser's head into the frozen water but only succeeded in whacking the poor Greaser's head repeatedly against the ice. And the third and final time included him sprinting after a Nerd who was throwing everything he had over his shoulder to try and stop the crazy Jock from gaining on him. This included marbles, books, a firecracker and a whole banana.

Chantelle stopped for a few seconds in weak amusement as Damon slipped on the almost invisible marbles and did some sort of weird pirouette in the air, before landing painfully hard on his right leg and stumbling head-first into the snow...That Nerd would be in for some serious shit before this night ended.

Hurrying past Damon before he could have the chance to realise she had witnessed the entire thing, she headed up the slippery steps towards the library where she knew it would be quiet and she most certainly wouldn't be disturbed. The Nerds had long since evacuated their humble abode for a more suitable location...The Comic Book Store in Bullworth Town.

Pushing the door open, she looked back over her shoulder to make sure she was quite alone before walking inside. It was thankfully warm inside, the heating at least hadn't gone bust in here. It was also seemingly deserted, something else that she was thankful for. Walking down the aisle in an almost practised fashion, Chantelle chose a book at random and chose a desk at the back of the library to go and read it. Jimmy's voice was still ringing in her ears, but at least she wasn't on the verge of tears anymore.

She was able to read the first few pages before the hairs on the back of her neck prickled uncomfortably and a shiver ran down her spine. Abandoning the book she had picked out, she looked ahead to see if she could see anyone or anything that could have made her feel like she was being watched. Her eyes darted left to right but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, and yet that feeling of being watched seemed to intensify. This time the hair on her arms stood on end and the room felt a few degrees colder as she once again swept the room with her eyes.

"Look, whoever is there come out now." Chantelle said sharply, her voice echoed dimly around the library and her heart rate began to increase. "Stop being such a coward, hiding behind the bookshelves or whatever and just come out."

Shuffling greeted her words, and a shadow emerged from the other end of the library but it didn't progress any further. It seemed as though they only wanted their presence to be known, but not their identity. Chantelle had no idea whom it was, and didn't want to go making accusations and assumptions so she kept her eyes focused on the figure but did not say anything else.

Eventually, after several minutes passed in silence, the figure began to advance towards Chantelle who still continued to stare, never taking her eyes off them. Her hand gripped the book as a sudden realisation dawned on her..._Please don't be Gary Smith...Please, please, please don't be Gary Smith..._

"I thought I might end up catching you in here sooner or later. You're becoming a lot harder to corner these days."

Chantelle put her head into her hands and closed her eyes as the voice spoke out, her heart still continuing to thud uncomfortably in her chest. Closing the book that she had abandoned with a snap her eyes darted back up to the approaching figure, taking him in in full.

"Resorted to stalking now have you?" Chantelle asked in what she hoped was a bored voice as she continued to study him.

"Don't flatter yourself Chantelle," Gary said firmly as he finally reached her and sat in the empty seat opposite to her. "Feels a bit like deja vu this doesn't it? Being together like this in the library."

"I wasn't flattering myself. I was merely making a statement on what you said, you know about finding me in here sooner or later...And I'd rather not actually be in here with you right now so if you don't mind..." She began to rise to her feet, but Gary reached across and gently grasped her wrist. His eyes rested on hers momentarily before she sat back down in the chair, frowning slightly.

"Gary, what do you want? I don't have the tolerance to deal with you right now...Your mood swings are worse then a woman with bad PMT."

However, their meeting this time was once again different. Gary appeared a lot more calmer, and less stressed. He reminded her of how he was at Halloween, a completely different person, a sane person perhaps. Maybe he had finally gone back on to his medication, maybe he finally realised just how far he was going.

"Well, I've been...Very observant over the last week or so and I'm beginning to see extremely familiar traits." Gary said calmly, finally taking his eyes off Chantelle and staring down at the book that was still in front of her. His hands seemed to be shaking a little as he laid them upon the desk and this seemed to confirm the fact that he had definitely stopped taking his medication, possibly for good. "And these traits make an awfully good comparison to some of mine" Gary added coldly, a smirk appearing across his face.

"No. Don't even bother trying to make the assumption that I am in anyway like you!" Chantelle added angrily, glaring at him with renewed anger. If he wasn't careful a few more books would be flying past his head soon.

Gary glared back and his hands clenched on the desk, something that Chantelle was completely aware of. "Don't go getting all mad and angry at me. You're messing with the wrong person so you better be careful what you say, and what you do. Do you understand me?" He snarled, leaning in a little closer towards her.

"How about you stop messing about with me, then you wouldn't have to care would you?"

Gary lapsed into silence and the two of them stared daggers at one another, a multitude of feelings were spiralling around and nothing but anger was established as Gary got to his feet, pushing the chair back with force and causing it to topple over creating a loud crash. Chantelle mirrored the action but did it without actually causing any other commotion.

"You better watch your mouth girl..."

"Why Gary? Why!? What are you going to do? Push me around a bit more? Scream and shout insults at me or start revealing a bit more of your crazy ass plan to take over the school? Go on make your god damn choice because you're beginning to bore the hell out of me!"

Gripping the table yet again, the red flush creeping up Gary's face was unmissable and she knew she was starting to truly piss him off...But right at that moment in time she didn't care, Gary had messed her around for four months, her parents had messed her around about coming home for Christmas and Jimmy Hopkins had basically ended their friendship...Could it possibly get any worse?

"I can make your pointless little life even worse to live. I can ruin Christy...Ruin Hopkins and whoever else you may have befriended within your time here at this shit-hole. I can do whatever the hell I want to you and still get away with it." Gary spat viciously, before pushing the table aside and striding towards her, twisting his hand around her coat and dragging her closer to him. Chantelle gasped as she stumbled against him and tried to pull herself away from him.

"Get your hands off me. Just...Get off me Gary!" Chantelle snapped, still continually trying to free herself from his grip. "I've done nothing to you, I've stayed out of your way I don't talk about you, I don't do anything to you...What else do you want from me!? You got what you wanted cause me and Hopkins aren't even friends anymore!" She cried out, aware for the second time that day that tears were rolling down her cheeks.

This seemed to have some adverse effect on Gary because his grip slackened a little and his expression softened. He looked at her with curiosity, watching the progression of the tears as they produced glistening tracks down her pale cheeks. Her blonde hair had fell into her face now as she dropped her head, hiding her face from view. She felt disgusted with herself for letting herself show such a weakness, she never wanted to let him see how much he got to her sometimes, how much he hurt her.

Still holding her coat rather firmly in his right hand, Gary cleared his throat and this small action made Chantelle look back up at him. They stared directly at one another and Gary's left hand slowly progressed its way towards her face but she slapped it hastily away and started struggling against him.

"Stop it," Gary muttered as they yet again made eye-contact. An odd feeling that Chantelle hadn't felt in weeks came swooping back into the pit of her stomach and she did indeed stop struggling against him and finally he let go of her coat.

"What do you want me to do Gary? I try to avoid you but you always seem to be there, sticking your nose into my personal business. I don't know what I'm supposed to do..."

Biting his lip, Gary slowly began to move away from her. This wasn't like him, this wasn't him at all. Nothing was supposed to get in the way of his plans to rule the school, nothing. Jimmy Hopkins admittedly had become a major pain in the ass, but it was nothing that he couldn't handle especially with a little help from the cliques in school. But this had come as a surprise, there was something about this girl, something trance-like that had kept his attention for the last four months and that in itself was pretty amazing...But she was a problem, she distracted him from his plans and schemes, disturbed him when he was deep in thoughts and this couldn't continue. He had to do something...But what?

However, during this brief train of thought, Chantelle observed the fact that he was starting to move away from her and she shook her head whilst placing a fake smile on her face. "Na-ah. No way. You are NOT backing out of this one Smith." Chantelle said coldly, making him snap out of his thoughts. "You better explain what the hell is going on."

There was now a bit more distance between the two of them and that was perfectly fine with him, although he would have preferred to high-tail it out of there without looking back. She was looking expectantly at him, the smile now completely vanished. Her arms were folded against her coat ready and waiting for an explanation. It was the first time in which he felt completely speechless, where he hadn't had the opportunity to plan a response or a decent comeback.

"I don't have time for this." Gary responded sharply, now avoiding eye contact with Chantelle who was refusing to look anywhere but at him. He could feel her eyes almost burning a hole through his skull and it was starting to irritate him, everything was starting to jumble together again and it was about this time when he used to take his medication...Used to.

"I don't want to be around you, and if you know better you'd get out of here now. You know what I'm capable of...My patience is wearing thin."

If anything, this was the partial truth. His hands were beginning to shake more violently now and if he wasn't careful himself he would lose all the self-control he had remaining and do something he might end up regretting. This was the effect she had on him, the inability to think straight and all it did was cause him to lose his temper (at least most of the time).

"Then why are you so intent on finding me all the time, do you enjoy torturing me? Insulting me? Making me feel insignificant and small?"

"Just stop it!" Gary snarled before turning his back on her and attempting to exit the library as quickly as possible without actually running. Chantelle started forward and it was her turn to make a grab at him, succeeding in snagging at the hood on his coat and making him stop. Her heart rate had increased rapidly again and was thudding loudly against her rib-cage...It was a miracle that the person opposite her couldn't hear it himself.

"What the hell is going through that fucking mind of yours Gary!? You're insane!"

This seemed to just push Gary to the edge, and for the second time that day he lunged towards her and grabbed her coat without even having to think about it. The speed and flow of the movement made Chantelle shriek and she attempted to avoid his shaking hands but to no avail. As his hands folded into the material of her coat, he forced her backwards until they reached the wall creating an unusually loud thud. Their faces were now mere inches away from each other and Chantelle could feel Gary's warm breath on her face, coming in short quick bursts.

"Don't-you-ever...If-you-speak-to-me...Like that..." Gary's words were almost indistinguishable as he blurted them out in a hurry almost as though he was in fear of losing his ability to string sentences together. And in his mind this was almost the perfect explanation, all it was now was a blur of thoughts and feelings and nothing made sense to him. His perfect plans to take over the school were long since forgotten, the calmness he felt when he succeeded in anything he did had been replaced with his fury. All he wanted to do was cause this girl pain, make her feel as confused and pissed off as he was. If she had been a male that would have been easy enough; by beating the shit out of them and forcing the respect he deserved. But yet again this was a different case and he both hated and admired her for it, how the hell could he possibly deal with this situation.

Chantelle had closed her eyes tightly and seemed to almost be waiting for him to do something to her, perhaps attack her and hit her...Maybe even to throw her around a little bit and shoot more terror into her heart that was now beating at an incredibly high rate.

They had stood there for over a minute when Chantelle opened her eyes. Gary was seemingly lost in thought and Chantelle didn't dare speak. Jimmy's voice was beginning to reverberate in her ears again; _I don't have time for this shit and I certainly don't have time for you._ The voice continued, shooting the same line over and over again...

Taking a deep breath, Chantelle stared up at the face of Gary Smith who was still wearing that blank expression that he wore when he was trying to think, she doubted he could even concentrate on the girl standing in front of him...If he remembered she was even there of course. However, right now all she was set on doing was to go against Jimmy Hopkins, potentially piss him off worse than what she would do if she hung out with that Prep again.

It was quick. Her breath had become fast and shallow and her heart was just about ready to explode from her chest but it didn't stop her. Leaning in, she rested her lips on his and this seemed to bring Gary out of his brief trance. Gary's eyes widened as they remained open, fixated on the girl in front of him, Chantelle however was still continuously hearing Jimmy's cold tone. How he had ignored what she had to say and dismissing her like she was a piece of crap on the bottom of his shoe...Then the realisation of what she was doing hit her hard, like she had ran smack bang into a brick wall.

Taking advantage of Gary's slackened grip, Chantelle slipped out of his grasp and moved past him as quickly as her legs would take her. They seemed to be made of rubber and were barely keeping her up but she didn't stop. He protested, called her back, told her to stop but she didn't. She could hear his footsteps, attempting to catch up with her...He could have reached her although it seemed as though their kiss had had an effect on him too and the resounding crash that followed made Chantelle guess he had stumbled over the table that he had knocked over earlier.

Pushing open the library doors, she walked straight out into the freezing subzero cold getting a face full of falling snow. What happened in the library was wrong, she knew that...She was sure Gary knew that. She couldn't let that happen again, promised herself that she would never enter that situation again no matter what the reasons would be. No. Never again.

**

* * *

**

**_Author's Note: Wasn't really sure about this chapter. I needed another Chantelle/Gary centric but I'm not necessarily sure this should have happened so quickly especially the intimate part. There's a little insight in to how Gary feels, and the confusion and frustration they both feel. I guess it's a case of you either hate it or love it :)_**

_Ooh and bare in mind Jimmy is an angry little git sometimes. I don't think it spells the end of their friendship though _


	20. Derby's Gift

**Chapter 20: Derby's Gift**

For the next few days, Chantelle barely left the Girl's Dormitory and there were several valid reasons for this, and these were what Christy had been trying to force out of her best friend since Wednesday night.

This was the night where Chantelle had come sprinting down the pathway from the Library and had nearly broke the door down as she rushed into the dormitory. Christy had watched the progression from the brief safety of her room before the door behind her also became in fear of coming clean off its hinges. She was greeted with a red-faced Chantelle who did not even say a word as she crossed the room and hid underneath her covers. She didn't even acknowledge the fact that Christy was actually there before curfew for once. Christy had stood quite still watching the mound that was Chantelle hidden beneath several layers of covers for at least ten minutes, hoping that something was actually going to be said that would explain her behaviour but to no avail.

And this is what it had been like for the past three days but today was different. Today was Christmas.

"Chantelle? Come on, get up already you've got a bunch of presents at the side of your bed just waiting to be opened...And some of them look pretty big."

Chantelle greeted this with a groan as she turned over in her bed to get a better look at Christy who was wide-eyed and already in the middle of ripping paper off most of her gifts. They were scattered all over her bed and she was holding some brand new straighteners in her left hand.

"About time! I have no idea how you slept through me ripping all this paper up...Seriously." Christy continued as she sat down and started hunting for a plug socket to test out her new hair product.

"No I don't know either," Chantelle added quietly, sitting up and pushing the messy blonde hair out of her eyes. She could tell that Christy was excited about getting all this new stuff and Chantelle didn't really want to bring her down. "My parents are probably trying to make it up to me. Wouldn't be the first time."

"Just get a move on and start unwrapping, I wanna see what you've got," Christy added, smiling finally thinking that things were going to go back to normal, that they would actually start talking like best friends again.

Chantelle couldn't help but smile at the eagerness in her voice and the infectiousness of her happiness and she obeyed the instructions happily. Swinging her legs out of the warm comforts of her bed she slipped down onto the carpet and brought the first present towards her.

The whole present unwrapping business went on for another ten minutes and her own things were now getting sorted out. Her parents had gone all out and bought her a new cellphone, an iPod with several gift cards, plenty of clothes, jewellery, make-up and other beauty products. However, the thing that Christy was looking a bit peeved about was the fact that they had bought Chantelle some brand new hair straighteners which were just that bit better than her friends.

When Chantelle had stood up to sort everything out she had seen the brief expression on Christy's face and looked dully at the straighteners on her bed that were still boxed up.

"You can have them," She said quickly picking the box up and moving towards Christy. "Seriously Christy, I'm not kidding. You can have them, I'm happy with the ones I've got and it's not like we won't share anyway...Take them."

Christy's mouth hung open for a few seconds as her eyes travelled from Chantelle down to the box that was being thrust in her face before accepting them, still speechless.

There was now only one more present left to unwrap, and Chantelle had purposely left this for last because she knew they weren't from her parents or from Christy. She had already opened one gift that had been from Ivan which had been some pretty earrings and another from Parker which had been an Aquaberry skirt, and Christy had bought her a gorgeous dress but she was now curious as to who else would be buying her gifts.

Christy was now busy with trying to tear open the box to focus on what Chantelle was doing which suited her just fine. She had a feeling this was for her eyes only.

Tearing the paper apart with care, she was curious to see a small glass trinket box underneath it all. It was quite beautiful and was covered in beads and glitter, but that wasn't what had caught her eye. A small slip of pink paper had been pressed inside and making sure that Christy was still busy, she took it out and unfolded it.

_I need to see you. Meet me at the side of the library at four, make sure you come alone and are not seen by anyone. It's important. _

Chantelle read this note at least four times before closing the trinket box and putting it on her bedside table and then moving to slip the note in between her pillows. There was only one person she could possibly assume it would be and that was Gary Smith. Her heart was now thudding quite loudly in her chest and she had no idea what exactly she was feeling. She didn't have much time to think about it however, since Christy chose the opportune moment to pipe up a conversation.

"So then, what's been going on with you or you still not gonna talk?" Christy asked, looking anywhere but at Chantelle who was now starting to get ready for the day ahead...Or rather for the 4pm timeslot.

"Just...Small stupid things really. Nothing huge,"

"Nothing huge!? You've been hiding in the dormitory for the past few days and have barely even spoke a word! Now you can't tell me that's small."

"Well I just don't fancy bumping into Jimmy that's all..."

"Wait you've still not made up?"

"Nope."

Christy opened her mouth to add something to the conversation but Chantelle had already turned her back and was now changing out of her pyjamas. To say she wasn't interested at all in getting out of bed just moments ago she was quite eager to fix herself up now.

"You know Chan, you can tell me anything." Christy piped up, now turning her own back on Chantelle who was in the middle of putting a sweater on. "We're like best friends and I know I definitely don't keep secrets from you, or like I try not to..."

Hitching down the sweater so it was fitted on properly, Chantelle sat on the end of her bed and realised how guilty she felt. She had been putting Christy through hell these past few days by giving her the silent treatment and not giving her an inkling on what was going on through her head...The last time Christy had done this, Chantelle had practically forced the issues out of her best friend and caused her to spill a lot more than what was necessary. Not that she had come to mind it, it's best of knowing that your best friend could be a psychotic pyromaniac then finding out the hard way.

"Look Christy, you are my best friend and I do want to tell you what's been going on but I've sort of been trying to sort things out myself before I do the whole 'tell all'. Don't think for one second that I've been doing this to make your life hell or to spite you because honestly I haven't and I'm sorry for putting you through hell."

"If it's Jimmy.."

"It's not just Jimmy. It's the Preps too, I mean if they find out what I'm trying to do...Still trying to do even if Jimmy won't accept it I could be in deep shit y'know."

"Then stop it." Christy said firmly, abandoning the red hot straighteners and coming over to sit beside Chantelle. "Just stop it, I mean Jimmy already said that he didn't need your help so why are you still trying?"

Chantelle had no idea how to respond to this since Christy had an extremely valid point. Obviously she had already run over all the pro's and con's of using Parker as a way of getting inside information on the Preps and right now Christy had a pretty firm grasp on what she had been thinking for the past few days.

"But what if I call the whole thing off with Parker and things just become complicated and awkward...I mean even more so then now?"

Tilting her head to the side, Christy remained silent as she lapsed off into thought. Chantelle joined her momentarily, picturing the moment where she told Parker that it was all over and that they couldn't see each other anymore when there was a knock at the door.

Exchanging glances, Chantelle got to her feet and crossed the room to answer the door whilst Christy moved over to start actually using the straighteners that were in fear of burning a hole through her mattress.

Turning the handle, she opened the door a slight fraction and stuck her head between the gap to see who had decided to disturb them during their little heart to heart. She wasn't extremely surprised to see Pinky standing there in an aquaberry dress complete with jacket, tights and knee-length boots.

"Ah, Chantelle. Just the person I was looking for." Pinky said in her falsetto girlish tones, wearing a matching fake smile. "I've been told to tell you that Parker wants you to go along to Harrington House tonight. They're having a celebratory meal and all the others are practically _dying_ to meet you."

Chantelle could tell from the expression Pinky was wearing that the Aquaberry Queen didn't take to this news too well. More than likely because she wasn't the centre of their attention anymore, not since Chantelle had come into the picture.

"Parker has been trying to find you since Thursday but since you've been quite incognito he hasn't had the opportunity to find you and..."

"Why didn't he just send me a letter with his present then?" Chantelle interjected, raising an eyebrow and looking at Pinky with curiosity.

"Because he sent you that gift over a week ago and preferred to actually ask you in person. But since it appears you had no intentions of leaving the Girl's Dormitory for whatever weird reason you have, he sent me to come and ask you." Pinky cut in harshly, folding her arms over her chest and raising her own eyebrows.

They stood in silence for at least a minute, staring at each other before Pinky started speaking again.

"So yeah, we're expecting you to be at Harrington at half four, if you're not there it isn't such a huge loss for me but I'm sure Parker will be devastated. Toodles." Pinky then quickly turned around and marched away without a backwards glance.

When she finally closed the door and turned to Christy she just shook her head and went back to sitting on the edge of her bed with a bemused expression plastered across her face. They didn't need to be any explaining since the two girls had talked loud enough for Christy to hear every word.

"So what do you think? Are you gonna go?" Christy asked as she stared into the mirror opposite her whilst doing her hair.

"I don't know, it's pretty...Intimate don't you think? I mean every Prep in Bullworth is going to be sat around watching me...I don't think I'm ready for that sort of thing. Especially since me and Parker aren't even dating properly. God knows why he has invited me."

"He might want to make it serious, take it to the next step and gain the approval so to speak from his friends. I mean if you still want to continue with your little plan then this would be the best opportunity you've had...Just be careful if you do go."

"Today is going to be so much fun." Chantelle said sarcastically, pretty much jinxing the remainder of the supposedly happy Christmas day.

* * *

At five to four that afternoon, Chantelle finally left the vicinity of her room to venture towards the Library which she had avoided at all costs. She was wearing the Aquaberry skirt that Parker had bought her since she had finally made up her mind and was planning on making quick work of this meeting to go to Harrington house. It was still as cold as ever, with the snow several inches thick laying on the ground although most of it resembled grey slush in and around the campus.

The grounds were luckily quite deserted, most of the students were either with their families at home or had chosen to stay inside their dorms to wreak havoc since the campus was littered with a high number of prefects and the school was off-limits for Christmas. Chantelle walked quickly, keeping her head bent over so as to not make eye-contact with anyone who would be wandering around. She met no-one as she advanced along the pathway, going through the arch and climbing the stairs towards the library. Of course, meeting at the side of the building would mean climbing over a wall but that wasn't such a hard task.

Moving towards the far end of little pathway she noticed a gate that was closed and required a certain code to get passed. She continued moving towards it, basically observing why something like this would actually be needed to guard what looked like a huge field. No doubt the Nerd's had placed it there since the Library was pretty much their sanctum...They probably had some weird hide-out down down there, with the gate just being a safety precaution.

Ever heard the saying curiosity killed the cat?

If Chantelle had been paying more attention to her surroundings then to a stupid gate with buttons she would have seen it coming and probably would have been able to get away without a second question. She was quite a fast runner and could have outstripped them within seconds and their plan would have been a complete fail...But Chantelle had moved past the safe point and was now pretty much cornered.

She heard a crunch of snow behind her and she straightened up ready to turn but that was when the hand came down over her mouth. Another arm went straight across her chest pinning her arms to her side. Her eyes widened in shock as she was forcefully dragged backwards. However she had the ability to see her surroundings for only a mere few seconds before her eyes were covered and now everything just went black. She could hear heavy breathing in her ear, snow crunching underfoot and the sound of a struggle as the person holding her attempted to heave her over the wall. That was when she realised that there wasn't just one person there, there had to be two. Maybe even three.

Not that Chantelle came quietly. She squirmed and struggled against the arm holding her, tried to bite down on the hand that was covering her mouth and preventing her from screaming and it actually would have worked if there had only been one of them.

When she had bit down on the person's hand, he had let out a loud yell and stepped back from her, giving her temporary freedom. Her hand moved towards the blindfold that was concealing her eyes and she was already trying to move away from her captors attempting to do everything at once. That was when a hand came powering across her chest, knocking her back into someone who was larger and beefier than previous. He was wearing gloves and covered her mouth fluently, already dragging her back towards the desired destination as she tried to breath properly feeling winded.

What felt like an age afterwards, after she had heard doors closing and opening, after she had felt an unusual warmth grow across her bare skin, after she had heard a lot of whispering and sniggering, the blindfold was finally pulled off.

Chantelle squinted against the light as she tried to get a general idea on where she had been taken. Whoever had captured her were still stood out of sight, but the pictures and the ornaments covering the room gave their identity up pretty quick.

The Preps.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Chantelle cried out, trying to move before realising she was pretty much tied up from legs to arms...Even her torso had a bit of rope around them to keep her still. "You've just freakin' kidnapped me you psychos."

"Chantelle, shut up."

This voice was extremely familiar, and Chantelle felt anger wash over her as Parker stepped into the limelight. He looked weary, pale and very tired and he had scratch marks up and down his arms and wrists. He pulled up a chair to sit opposite her before rubbing his face in an exhausted fashion. Clearly he had been one of those Preps that had dragged her into Harrington House against her will.

"Derby requested you should be here. We didn't think you would turn up for the whole Christmas meal thing. Pinky messed her part up quite severely. Perhaps she was just jealous of not being the only female attention anymore...Or of course she could always have been trying to help you in which case..."

"She wasn't helping me!" Chantelle interjected, struggling against the bonds again as she glared at Parker. There was some shuffling of feet behind her which suggested that they weren't alone. "I was going to come for crying out loud!"

Parker opened his mouth, and then closed it stupidly, glaring up at whoever was behind Chantelle before shaking his head. "Never-mind. What's done is done, I'm just sorry it had to be this way."

"It wouldn't have if you'd just waited for half an hour!" Chantelle snapped viciously, trying to move again but failing miserably. She had no idea what Derby would want with her and she didn't really want to stick around and find out.

"Well when we saw you at the Library we jumped at the chance," Came a gruff voice from behind her, she tried to turn her head to see who it was but that too failed. "Me and Parker cornered you and took you back to Harrington house. If you hadn't struggled so much you probably wouldn't have to be tied..."

"If you hadn't just jumped out at me like you did maybe I wouldn't have fucking struggled you idiot!"

After Chantelle's vulgar statement, silence filled the room. Parker was staring at the girl with an odd expression but did not feel any words were needed. Somehow the silence was a lot more nerve-wrecking than actually speaking.

"Look what the hell do you want from me? I've done absolutely nothing to you guys..."

"Didn't you have a plan all along?" Parker asked coldly, folding his arms across his chest as he leant back in his chair. "Was I not just a pawn in your master-plan? Your gateway of gaining access and information on the Preps for your dear James Hopkins?"

"I...What!? Who told you that?" Chantelle stuttered, trying to keep up the innocent act and not drop herself in it. It was a very bad situation to be in right now and saying the wrong things could prove fatal in getting out of here.

"At least you aren't denying it, not yet anyway. Pinky overheard you, today and when you and Jimmy were having a heated discussion." Parker added, looking almost bored as she studied his clean-cut fingernails.

"That was my initial plan but..."

"I don't want to hear it Chantelle." Parker added coolly before getting to his feet again. "Take over. Don't let her sweet talk you either, remember what me and Derby said."

Chantelle felt her heart sink into her stomach as Parker got to his feet. She was hoping that she would've got to him, maybe changed his attitude towards her but like everything else on this miserable day...That too had failed. Her eyes stayed on him as he talked to the Prep behind him, followed him as he crossed the room and stayed fixed on the door when he finally made an exit.

_Don't tell me I actually had feelings for him..._

Her eyes swivelled to the left as the other Prep finally came into view and distracted her from her bizarre thoughts. He was no doubt the biggest of the bunch, extremely toned and muscular and looking quite blank as he moved to sit down on the chair. He was their lead boxer, and had won many a fights according to all the trophies lined up and the certificates plastered on the walls.

"My names Bif." He said quietly, watching her closely as she sunk against the chair finally realising that struggling wasn't going to help. Even if she did manage to get lose of the ropes she would have to find her way out of here and one wrong turn could just get her captured again. It was pointless. She lowered her head and refused to look at Bif who had just politely introduced himself.

"You already know who I am." Chantelle said quietly, speaking down to the wooden floor as Bif nodded his head. "But I still don't see what I'm doing here. If it's about my plan to riddle you out of information then I'm afraid you're wasting your time. Me and Jimmy aren't even on talking terms anymore. We're not friends."

Bif shifted in his seat and Chantelle glanced up briefly to see what he was doing, but he was just adjusting his position so he could get more comfortable.

"Derby will be here in a minute. Parker's gone to get him, then he can tell you what he wants from you. Until then, stop trying to talk your way out of this cause there's no way I'm letting you go."

Chantelle opened her mouth to speak back, but like it was on cue the door opened and three more Preps filed into the room. Derby Harrington was at the front looking smug and pleased as he chose to run a hand through his blonde hair. Parker was in the middle looking anywhere but at Chantelle and finally Tad Smith brought up the rear looking slightly confused as he set eyes on the girl tied up on a chair in the centre of the room. The confused expression quickly changed to concern but he kept his mouth firmly shut.

"Chantelle Matthews; what a lovely surprise this is." Derby said, gesturing for Bif to move out of the way so he could sit down. The boxer obediently did as he was told and stood behind Chantelle's chair again staying out of view whilst Parker and Tad stood either side of Derby's chair. "I must say this is the best gift I have gotten all day."

"Get on with it." Chantelle spat angrily, glaring at the head Prep with immense dislike. Parker and Tad exchanged glances and simultaneously took a step back from their leader almost as though they were in fear of being throttled themselves. Derby however, seemed to take the comment in his stride and simply let it slide.

"Well you see my little blonde bombshell, you and Jimmy are quite close as it seems..."

"Not anymore." Chantelle cut across yet again and stared at him with a sneer of her own. "We fell out or did Pinky forget to add that into you're little conversation. We were arguing over dear Parker here when he told me not to bother with him anymore, so I haven't. So whatever you've got planned it ain't gonna work."

Derby allowed Chantelle to finish her little speech, still wearing that smug smile before he continued his sentence like he had never been interrupted. "So the plan was to take you and hold you ransom pretty much and hope that Jimmy Hopkins will play the knight in shining armour...Then we can teach that imbecile some manners. No-one messes with the Preps and gets away with it. Least of all that little idiotic kid."

"At least Jimmy doesn't have to stoop so low to resort to kidnapping girls...But then again he's already got Pinky on his side, didn't you know they're dating?" Chantelle asked coldly raising her eyebrows at Derby whose sneer finally vanished and he almost leapt to his feet. The chair behind him flicked backwards and landed heavily on the floor with an echoing bang. Parker and Tad exchanged glances again and moved away from Derby quickly.

"Don't you...How dare...I...Pinky would never...Jimmy Hopkins!?...BIF!" Derby gestured towards the Boxer and then moved quickly to the door they had entered earlier, no doubt to discuss what Chantelle had just revealed. This could potentially dig a deeper hole for both her and Jimmy Hopkins but Jimmy was tough and these guys just seemed like humongous pushovers.

However, the fact still remained...Would Jimmy come and rescue her, or would he leave her to suffer in the pompous egos of the Preps and who was it that wanted to meet her at the side of the Library before she was kidnapped and did they see anything? She hoped so.

* * *

**Authors Notes: **_Not the best chapter I've written but I thought the story could do with a darker twist. It was a way to get the feud burning between Jimmy and the Preps and a way to test the friendship between Chantelle and Jimmy. No Gary Smith on this one. The next chapter is going to be Christy/Jimmy centric, Chantelle is going to have a limited part it's about time I did some different things. Please read and review! I need your opinions really bad xD_


	21. Playing Detective

_**Author's Note; **I really need your criticism now guys. If you do read, please please please review. I'm going through some serious personal issues at the minute, and I'm also a bit busy with schoolwork and A-level exams. If you want this story to be updated, I need your support in the form of CRITICAL REVIEWS. I need to know someone is reading. XD_

* * *

**Chapter 21 – Playing Detective**

Whilst Chantelle was being dragged off towards Harrington House, Christy was being subjected to a delicious meal down at Bullworth Vale with Davis. He had treated her to a nice selection of gifts including jewellery and some expensive perfume and in general it had been a very perfect date considering what happened last year with Ricky. That Christmas had been one she just wanted to forget, since half the day was spent arguing with him and the other half was where she sat alone in her dorm room in tears. That would have been the ideal time to split up from the Greaser but she had stayed with him because she didn't exactly have anyone else at the time. Once Chantelle had arrived on the scene, she had stayed with Ricky for a few more months before realising, with Chantelle's help, that she didn't need him anymore. They were past it and the ghost of the memory that was Christmas always came back to haunt her.

Now she was heading back to the Girl's Dormitory, hoping to have a nice conversation with her best friend and hopefully continue the heart to heart they had been having earlier. It was only 7pm and although the sky was overcast with heavy clouds, the air cold and the wind bitingly chilly, there had been no new layers of snow on the ground (which would prove extremely useful).

Moving quickly through the gates of the Bullworth school, she narrowly avoided slipping on a strip of ice and watched briefly as the large jock Damon chased a young kid out of the gates before turning right and heading into the warmth that was the Girl's Dormitory. Angie and Eunice was sat in the armchairs talking in low voices whilst Pinky strutted by with a small smirk plastered on her face. Christy ignored all three of them and continued up the stairs, and then crossed the landing to the first door on the left and walked straight inside.

"Hey Chantelle, I was thinking maybe we could..." Christy stopped in her tracks, her hand still holding on to the door handle whilst observing the room. Chantelle's bed was still covered in her presents from earlier on in the day and the floor around it was scattered with wrapping paper. She was nowhere to be seen.

Frowning slightly, Christy closed the door and then crossed the room still glancing around expecting Chantelle to just appear, maybe spring up from underneath the bed or something. It was quite unusual to see Chantelle anywhere but in the Girls Dormitory since she had been hiding up here for the past few days.

"Now where the hell have you wandered off too..." She whispered to the empty room.

* * *

Chantelle was currently still tied up on a chair in the middle of Harrington House. Parker had just entered the room and had taken up the position of watching her whilst the other Preps went about their usual business which right now was about trying to lure Jimmy in to come to the rescue...So to speak. He had his head lowered as he read a paperback, although as Chantelle observed him she noticed that his eyes weren't moving and he was turning the pages at almost exactly the same intervals. The silence was awkward and tense, and she could tell that the book was just a reason not to look at the girl sat opposite him.

"How long are you actually planning on keeping me here...Because I need to sleep and eat...And I sort of need the toilet."

Parker kept his head down for a few more seconds and Chantelle actually believed he was going to ignore her completely, but he closed the book and stared at her with blank expressionless eyes that Chantelle didn't care for much. Her eyes never left his face as he got to his feet and moved towards her, _leaned_ towards her even.

His hands fiddled with the rope binding her to the chair and allowing it to fall loosely off her. He then grabbed her arm and dragged her upwards, reminding Chantelle forcefully of Gary Smith in the earlier days of their meetings. She blinked stupidly as she was escorted out of the room and down a narrow corridor that was decorated with more expensive ornaments still gripping her arm tightly enough to make her wince slightly.

"In there. You've got five minutes." Parker said firmly, now avoiding her gaze completely as he opened the door for her.

"Parker I..."

"Five minutes." He said again, cutting across her and staring down at the floor instead of at her. She rolled her eyes and moved past him, closing the door behind her with a snap and turning the lock. Staring wildly around she tried to think of a way she could potentially get out of this mess but she knew it was still pointless. She was probably on the second floor of Harrington House and jumping out of a bathroom window would probably cause more damage then do any good.

There was nothing else to do, so she had the toilet break then unlocked the door and returned to the firm grasp of Parker who looked disinterested and blank again. Her stomach turned uncomfortably and she suddenly felt incredibly sick and disorientated. She stumbled down the hallway and if it hadn't been for Parker holding her she probably would have fell straight down to the floor.

"What the..." Parker muttered as she fell against him, trying her best to stay upright until the dizzy spell subsided. "Stop acting up, your shit doesn't work on me..."

"I'm not acting you idiot..." Chantelle replied weakly, trying to straighten up instead of looking weak and vulnerable in front of the Prep that she thought once had feelings for her. "I've not eaten properly for the past few days and...Right now I don't feel too good."

Parker opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again quickly. He tightened the grip on Chantelle's left arm and continued walking down the corridor. However they did not return to the room where Chantelle had been staying in for the past few hours, instead he shoved her inside a room to the left of it which contained a very comfortable-looking bed and some drawers.

"You'll stay in here. You're going to be locked in so don't bother trying to get out, I'll bring you some food up. Looks like you're going to be stopping overnight anyway." Parker added shortly, still avoiding her gaze. He waited for her to cross the room and sit down on the edge of the bed before leaving. There was a loud click as he locked the door behind him followed by a heavy sigh from Chantelle as she laid down.

"Where the hell are you Jimmy..."

* * *

"I'm not going to apologise."

"But you two are really close and what's the point in destroying your friendship over a Prep. She already admitted she was only trying to help you..."

"That was probably just a damn excuse Petey."

Pete Kowalski looked incredibly put-out as he sat down on the end of Jimmy's bed whilst the latter paced the room looking pissed. Jimmy had only just decided to tell his friend that her and Chantelle were no longer on talking terms and now Pete was trying to make some sort of sense on what was actually going on...And getting nowhere. It seemed as though Jimmy's bad mood had not dissipated over several days and it was definitely not getting any better.

"How do you know that? Why would she lie to you for one..."

"I don't fucking know do I? I thought I could trust her and then she started going out on random dates with that bastard Parker."

"C'mon Jimmy she would never look twice at a Prep if there wasn't some other logical reason behind what she was doing."

Jimmy opened his mouth to make another vulgar retort but thought against it and instead continued to stride up and down the room, trying to think things over and failing miserably at it. He was never one to think first and act later. Pete watched him nervously for a few more seconds and then cleared his throat.

"I think you're just being irrational Jimmy. Chantelle wouldn't purposely do something to piss you off, I know that much. She actually gives a damn about you. I think you took it all the wrong way."

Jimmy stopped pacing the room and simply turned his head to look at Peter who was now avoiding eye contact and instead was choosing to stare at the wooden floor. Pete had a feeling that Jimmy was on the very verge of letting his temper get the best of him and he didn't want to be in the vicinity when he did...He had a knack of throwing things, and throwing punches too.

"So you're saying Chantelle is the one who is in the right?" Jimmy spoke in quiet tones that signalled to Pete he was about to lose control.

"No...I...I wasn't saying that," Pete started nervously, now twisting his hands in his lap not quite daring to look up at his friend. "I was saying that Chantelle wouldn't go out with that Prep because...Because she would know it would piss you off. So I think the stuff about her getting information out of him was the truth y'know? That she was using him to help you out...She doesn't like to always see you get into fights cause she's afraid you're gonna get expelled."

"What?"

Pete let out a loud sigh and folded his arms over his chest in a defensive way, he shouldn't have really gave him all this information to say Chantelle had come to see him in private and had asked him as politely as possible to keep his mouth shut.

"She came to see me the day after you had a go at her. I don't know how she cornered me like that but she did, she has a habit of knowing where people are when she needs them..."

There was no pacing now, and the anger had seemingly slipped away at least momentarily as Jimmy turned to face him properly, listening with rapt attention. He did not speak and gestured for Pete to go on.

"Anyway, she was really upset...Said she had ruined her chances of being friends with you again after trying her best to help you out. She said she didn't want to see you get expelled for fighting and causing anymore trouble around the school cause she wanted you around, that you're usually a good friend and easy to talk to and stuff..." Petey finally lifted his gaze to Jimmy and saw with some astonishment that he no longer looked pissed off anymore, in fact he even looked a little regretful.

"I told her that I'd talk to you, try and get you to see sense y'know? I mean...She's a good person Jimmy. She wouldn't do anything like that. She had a reason." He finished up and then let his arms drop back down into his lap.

"I gotta go." Jimmy said sharply, turning quickly on his heel.

"It's past curfew she isn't going to be outside is she? In fact I don't think she's left her room properly for days or that's what Christy said."

"God-damn it.."

* * *

Christy awoke in the early hours of Sunday morning to find herself still fully clothed and feeling worse for wear. She had waited until gone midnight for the arrival of Chantelle and had obviously fell asleep against her will and as she sat up to look across at her friend's bed, her stomach turned uncomfortably as she saw it was still covered with presents. Definitely not slept in...

"Shit Chantelle where the fuck are you!?" She spoke up as she swung her legs off the bed and got to her feet trying to think of any place where she could actually be. Thinking back to the previous day she brought up as much as she could about them being together, perhaps that would help her understand where her best friend could have disappeared off too...

She recalled Chantelle turning her back to Christy as she opened her final select few presents, ones that she had been purposely saving for last when she believed Christy had been busy doing something else like messing with those new straighteners of hers. But she could be secretive and quite deceiving when she needed it and right now she guessed she needed it.

Standing up she moved over towards Chantelle's bed and shifted through the litter on the floor trying to look for that little square of bright pink paper. She even looked inside the trinket box even though it was clearly not folded inside there anymore.

"Damn it Chantelle." Christy whispered as she pushed the wrapping paper aside and started to search in other places. First, she shifted through the Christmas presents that were piled up on her bed, she doubted Chantelle would really mind, before moving the pillows and checking to see if it had been hidden between them. Getting down on her hands and knees she then stuck her arm underneath the small gap between the floor and the bed and still found nothing. Lifting her hand up she then stuck it through the small gap between the mattress and the frame of the bed, shifting it left and right before she struck gold.

Narrowing her eyes she brought out the pink slip of paper and observed it, reading it through several times before getting quickly back up to her feet and slipping it into her jeans pockets. There was no time to get changed, this seemed incredibly important, but should she go alone?

The only other person that would possibly help her would be Jimmy Hopkins, perhaps even Davis and a few of the Bullies would too...But there was certainly no time to track them down and then again it might not even be a serious matter even though she felt nauseated and extremely concerned.

Grabbing her coat from the back of the door she quickly zipped it up as she left the room. It could only be about 7am in the morning, everyone would still be fast asleep which would serve her just as well.

Leaving the Girl's Dormitory she ran down the length of the pathway to the other Boy's Dormitory, wondering briefly how she could actually alert the attention of Jimmy. She was stood staring up at the doors when she received a tap on the shoulder that nearly made her scream out loud. She spun around and came face to face the one and only.

"Jesus Christ you nearly gave me a heart-attack!" Christy moaned, her right hand was still clutching at her coat in the position of where her heart should be.

"I saw you running from over there, wanted to see what was going on."

"Well either fate is being very nice to me this year, or this is a complete coincidence but we need to move now."

"Care to explain before I go anywhere with you?"

Christy stared at Jimmy with disbelief, before realising she had not told him anything. It seemed to have slipped her mind that Jimmy hadn't been there for the last twelve hours during Chantelle's absence. Then again the two of them weren't even on talking terms.

"Here," Christy said quickly, sticking her hand into her pocket and pulling out the slip of vivid pink paper and thrusting it at Jimmy. "Chantelle didn't come back last night either."

Jimmy raised his eyebrows and unfolded the paper to read what was on it. Just like Christy, he read it several times before it sunk in. "So you think she's been.."

"I don't know but either way I don't like it." Christy interjected, her face still full of concern and worry before setting off at a jog towards their specified destination. Jimmy remained silent as he followed behind her, through the deserted campus of Bullworth. It was still too early for the rest of the school and he was glad that Christy had not thought to ask him what he was doing at such early hours of the morning...Not that he would have told her the truth at any rate.

They ascended the steps to the library and went around the right side of the building towards the broken wall. Jimmy gave Christy a boost as she climbed over and then followed her.

"Look." Christy said, the fear in her voice was extremely pronounced and Jimmy followed her gaze to see long drag lines in the snow. It was a good job there had been no fresh layers over the past twelve hours or this would have been their dead-end.

"And look at where it goes," Jimmy said flatly, pointing to the right over another wall. There were footprints, drag marks and a glove. Christy stared in disbelief and watched as Jimmy jumped over the wall not wanting to follow but knowing there wasn't much choice.

"Where does this go exactly?" He asked as he knelt down beside the glove, picking it up and staring at it...Too big to be Chantelle's that was for sure.

"Harrington House."

"Looks like they found out what she was up to then."

"You think..."

"They took her. Yeah I do." Jimmy finished before throwing the glove aside and turning to look over his shoulder at Christy who was now extremely pale even though it was freezing cold outside. "It would just be the perfect plan wouldn't it? They know me and Chantelle are close, they know I care about her as well...Take the whole boxing thing that happened last month. Now they've took her, and I think I know why."

"They want to lure you in." Christy said in hushed tones, walking towards him slowly. "They want you to go straight in to get her back."

"Yeah. And I'm going to give them what they want but I ain't going in alone."

"Well I can't do anything I'm just a girl."

"I know. And you're going to stay far away from here when I go in."

"What!? Chantelle is my best friend I'm not just going to leave her!"

"You said so yourself, you're just a girl...But you are going to help me get her back. I need you to find Davis, and get him to alert Russell. I want the big guy on my side. He's enough to get the Preps out of my hair until I find her."

Christy stared at Jimmy as he finally straightened up and looked down the side-path towards what would be Harrington House. There was no time to plan out a strategic mission, she had already been stuck in that place for over fifteen hours and that was probably torture being stuck in a place full of posh snobs.

"Do you want me to go now?" She asked quietly looking down at her gloved hands. Never before had she felt so useless as she did right now, whilst Jimmy and Russell would be fighting to get Chantelle back all she could was sit and wait patiently...Mind there was Pinky Gauthier...

"Oh my god!" Christy exclaimed suddenly making Jimmy briefly lose track on what he was about to say. "Pinky Gauthier! That stupid snobbish bitch!"

"What!?" Jimmy responded with confusion, staring at Christy as she slammed her palm into her forehead.

"How could I have been so stupid, everything just seems to be bloody clicking into place now. She was walking around with a stupid sneer on her face, she looked straight at me with one of those I-Know-Something-You-Don't expressions on her face aswell. That damn stuck-up bitch was part of their plan all along!"

Jimmy opened his mouth to speak, but now wasn't the time to start dwelling on the past. Chantelle was locked up in Harrington House with a bunch of imbeciles and he needed to get her out of there fast before they brain-washed her too.

"Get Davis now. You can think about Pinky another time."

"Oh don't worry about that." Chantelle said harshly before turning around and climbing back over the wall. "No-one gets away with tricking my best friend..."

Jimmy raised his eyebrows and shook his head as the red-head made a sharp exit and made the assumption that he would be seeing Pinky with a perhaps a vicious black-eye for the next few days. He stared back down the pathway, picturing Harrington House in his minds-eye before leaving himself, heading towards the Boys Dormitory where he could stack up on fire crackers, stink bombs, marbles and his weapon of choice, the slingshot.

Neither Christy or Jimmy noticed the fourth set of footprints imprinted in the frozen snow, leading towards and away from the library. The set of footprints that belonged to the real sender of the pink note...


	22. Break In

**_Authors Notes:_** _I realise it's been a long time since I've updated but I've had exams to study for amongst other things. Your reviews and critiscism is much needed and welcomed because it's really hard to fit time in to write nowadays and I don't want to be writing to an audience that aren't interested in reading. Anyway, I have no idea what the next chapter is going to contain so it may be another long wait. apologies in advance._

**Chapter 22 – Break In**

"Davis!"

Christy was stood in the middle of the parking lot with her arms across her chest trying to stay warm. She had been all around the school campus trying to find the Bully and had so far had not even a tinge of luck. She had managed to corner Trent about ten minutes ago and had questioned him on Davis' whereabouts but even he didn't know where the elusive male was and they were usually inseparable.

She called out his name once more before letting out a heavy sigh. She had only been set one task that Jimmy had set her and she couldn't even do that right...Not that she hadn't tried, but simply trying wasn't enough. Not when her best friend was at stake.

Turning on her heel she began to hurry towards the gates intending to go towards the run-down motel near New Coventry. Sometimes she had found him and his friends hanging around there for reasons that Davis had not yet explained but she was disrupted as a hand rested on her shoulder. For the second time that day she was very close to letting out a small scream but she managed to refrain from doing so by biting down on her tongue.

"What you shoutin' about?"

Christy turned around and frowned, it wasn't who she was expecting. And it wasn't Jimmy either. No it happened to be her ex-boyfriend, Ricky. His eyes were quite puffy and he looked shockingly pale in the weak winter light but he was wearing a concerned expression and didn't let go of Christy's shoulder even after he had got her attention

"I was just looking for someone...It's sort of important." Christy said quietly whilst her eyes slid sideways to stare at the hand that was gripping her. Ricky saw this and quickly let go, allowing his arms drop heavily to his side.

"Davis?" Ricky asked quietly, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on hers making her feel even more uncomfortable. There was something in the way he was looking at her that made her want to turn tail and run but she didn't quite dare. He didn't look particularly stable.

"Yeah, Davis...Jimmy wanted to ask him a favour. You...Haven't seen him around have you?" Christy continued weakly, knowing it was a serious risk to even mention his name let alone talk about where he could possibly be. She saw Ricky's face contort slightly, perhaps with anger or frustration but it cleared almost instantly and he nodded his head.

"Saw him 'bout ten minutes ago heading into the Boy's Dormitory covered in some black ash stuff."

Christy's heartbeat picked up a little and she gave Ricky a warming smile. Perhaps he wasn't so hard up about the break-up then what she first thought.

"Thanks Ricky. You're a life-saver. I'm pretty sure Jimmy will thank you when the time comes too. Look I really need to go okay...I'm sorry for just running off but..."

"It's fine, I gotta go meet someone anyway," He interjected quickly, looking away from her for the first time and instead staring straight over her head.

Christy's mouth stayed open momentarily before she gave him a curt nod then turned hastily around running quickly towards the Boy's Dormitory. She was aware that Ricky's eyes were burning into the back of her skull and wondered just briefly whether he had just lied to her perhaps hoping for some sort of jealous reaction. If she didn't like Davis so much she probably would have felt perhaps a pang of jealously but that part of her was gone now. Plus...She had more important matters to concern herself with.

Jimmy had been busy most of the morning, packing various things into his bag and sweeping the room for anything else that could be remotely useful. He had plenty of firecrackers and stink-bombs as well as bags of marbles and his trusty slingshot. But on top of that he also had Russell and Davis as potential allies. Jimmy could have had the entire clique of bullies at hand but he still had to prove himself. Russell and Davis would serve as distractions whilst he went through Harrington House looking for Chantelle. He had a small plan fitted in his brain but there was no time (and Jimmy had no patience) to draw an entire blueprint out. He wanted to break Chantelle out there as soon as humanly possible.

Jimmy quickly left his room and exited the Dormitory, descending the steps and mounting his bike which he had chained up at the side. He doubted anyone would even try to steal his bike, it wasn't in fantastic shape and definitely didn't look too great but he didn't want to run the risk and locked it up anyway.

He made very quick work of the journey to Russell's house in the Vale. He had come across no Preps as he passed the Glass Jaw Gym which didn't surprise him in the slightest. No doubt Derby had called all the Preps to Harrington House to prepare for Jimmy's assault, this thought alone made him smirk.

Throwing his bike down, Jimmy ran towards the door and knocked loudly several times. He continued to knock constantly until a large shadow finally appeared between the glass panes on the door. He stepped backwards and looked up as the door opened.

"Russell? I need to ask a favour in the form of me having your help to smash some rich kids skulls into the ground."

Russell stood quite still for a few seconds, contemplating what Jimmy had just said before his expression cleared up and was replaced with a small grin.

"Sure. Russell smash annoying rich kids!"

It was mid-afternoon and Chantelle was still stuck inside the designated room the snobbish Preps had given her. She had been trapped in Harrington House for nearly a day now and she was slowly starting to believe that Jimmy wasn't going to bother with her after all. There was a tray of half-eaten food on the floor at the side of the bed she was sat on, and when this thought had struck her it had totally rid her of an appetite and instead replaced the feeling of ravenous hunger with nauseating worry. She had not seen anyone but Parker all morning which was all well and good, but even he had barely said a word to her. Every time he was sent in she had attempted to make a conversation with him but he'd simply avoid her gaze and leave as quickly as possible without even opening his mouth leaving Chantelle even more pissed off.

Getting to her feet, she ignored the remainder of the food and water and started to pace around the room trying to think of what to do. She could always try picking the lock to the door even though she had nothing but a few hair-grips and a knife and fork to her disposal but then again she had never been taught or had even tried picking a lock. The window was completely out of option unless she broke it, which would probably alert whoever was outside or close-by but then again she was also on the upper floors and would have nowhere to go unless she jumped and probably broke half the bones in her body...definitely not worth it.

There was a short, sharp knock at the door that stopped her in her tracks. She turned her head to look and heard the lock click and watched the door-handle turn. Parker again no doubt...Probably ready to take her tray of half-eaten food away.

However, she was slightly surprised to see Derby Harrington stood there in all his Aquaberry full-of-himself glory. There was a smug grin plastered on his face and he strolled inside locking the door behind him. Chantelle narrowed her eyes as she stared at him, she didn't have any intention of having a civil conversation with him so he was going to be out of luck.

"I don't think it will be much longer now Chantelle," Derby started leaning against the wall of the room opposite her and watching with interest. "Word on the street is that Jimmy's been hanging around nearby. I think we've got him just where we need him."

"Can't you do me a favour and just shut the hell up will you? You're just going to embarrass yourself." Chantelle snapped impatiently glaring at him with dislike. His expression stayed smug but his eyes widened slightly, perhaps he had never been spoken up against like this before...Well there was always time to learn.

"And how exactly am I going to go about embarrassing myself?" Derby retorted, folding his arms over his chest and raising his eyebrows still smirking.

"Because Jimmy isn't really someone you should be underestimating now is he? You're expecting him to get the shit kicked out of him the moment he steps through the door but you really think he's going to come here without a proper plan?"

Derby remained quite silent as he observed the girl in front of him before letting out a chuckle and shaking his head. He started pacing the room now, raising a hand to his chin almost as though he was deep in thought but Chantelle saw it for what it was; a mocking gesture.

"James Hopkins isn't the kind to sit down and think out a fully-fledged plan now is he Chantelle? He's the type that acts first and thinks later. He's abrasive and violent..."

"If you've come in here just to bitch about Jimmy behind his back then how about you turn around right now and fuck right off?" Chantelle suddenly snapped viciously, interrupting his chain of vulgar insults and retorts and instead replaced his smug expression with one of utmost disgust. It appeared he didn't like to be disrespected...Not that Chantelle cared much.

However, she did care when Derby lurched forward and gripped her forearm in a vice-like grip that made Chantelle wince. He used his free hand to push her shoulder into the wall, pinning her against it with surprising strength.

"Nobody...Nobody talks to me like that!" He hissed through gritted teeth, his face now just inches away from hers. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he struggled to string a suitable sentence together to vocalise just how angry he really was.

Chantelle struggled against his grip but he simply pushed her backwards again, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Keeping her eyes lowered, Chantelle refused to look at the Prep in front of her. Maybe she should really keep her mouth closed since all it was doing was getting her in some pretty bad trouble...But then again she was pretty damn angry herself.

"You need to learn some serious manners...Especially when you're talking to me!" Derby continued, his temper slowly beginning to subside whilst his ability to form a sentence without sounding like he had a speech impediment started to return. His face relaxed, but still Chantelle kept her eyes fixed to the carpeted floor determined not to give him any satisfaction in the sudden fear in her own expression. He loosened his grip on her and instead pushed her chin up so he could see her face properly.

"Maybe that is a lesson learnt for future references...I'm not someone who is to be trifled with Chantelle. You'll do well to remember that."

Keeping her expression emotionless, she turned her head away from him...Her anger was beginning to slowly rise up again.

"So you're telling me that the Preps actually kidnapped someone?"

"Not someone; Chantelle!"

Davis stared at Christy for a few seconds and then shook his head in something she thought was disbelief. She had been sat inside Davis' dorm room for at least five minutes already, trying to persuade him that what she was saying was the absolute truth.

"But...I mean. I know they are inbreeds and completely stupid...But...Would they really go that far? They could get expelled for pulling these sorts of stunts."

Christy opened her mouth to argue the point and found herself completely speechless. She had always assumed Davis to be like the rest of the Bullies in the sense that they loved to fight and were quite dim-witted. But here he was, arguing _against_ scrapping with a bunch of trust-fund babies, and actually being _logical_ about it. This was just too weird.

"Davis we are not making this shit up!" Christy finally cried out with impatience, throwing her hands into the air to make the point even more dramatic. "Jimmy needs your help but if you're too chicken to do so then I'll go find someone else!"

"Hey hey wow...Slow down a little." Davis interjected raising his eyebrows and shaking his head. "I never said I wouldn't go help Hopkins out..."

"Then why are we still sat here discussing this!"

Davis gave her a blank look before getting hastily to his feet. "I think you should stay here..."

"You've got no chance. I'm going with you."

Seeing the look in her eyes, Davis knew better than to argue. He turned around and grabbed his coat before stuffing a load of junk items and his very own slingshot into his pockets. "Then let's go have some fun." He muttered as a menacing grin crossed his face. Christy returned the smile and followed him out of the room, aware that every male eye was now on her as they made their quick exit.

Having no idea where Jimmy and Russell actually were, the two of them headed straight towards the parking lot with Davis using the excuse that Russell would be using his moped to get to school in such a rush. His prediction turned out to be absolutely accurate, because as they turned the corner (with Christy slipping and nearly breaking her neck on some black ice) they saw Russell driving through the school gates with Jimmy biking it, hot on his trail.

"Well isn't that just great..." Davis said, the smirk returning as he gestured the two guys over whilst Christy leant against him trying to catch her breath and steady the heavy thudding of her heart.

"Excellent timing!" Jimmy yelled jovially as he ran over to meet them after dumping his bike unceremoniously on the ground in the middle of the car park. "Are we ready to go beat on some Aquaberry scumbags?"

All four of them were now wearing smug grins as they advanced towards Harrington House.

"Tell me Chantelle, what is it that you see in that arrogant little boy Hopkins?" Derby asked as he began to pace around the room with his arms behind his back. Chantelle had not yet spoken a word to him since he had forced her roughly up against the wall just moments ago, and she was still too angry to talk right now. He had gone from being aggressive and temperamental to almost pleasant and calm again...Talk about mood-swings.

"What is it to you?" Chantelle responded, folding her arms defensively across her chest, as she kept her back firmly against the wall. She had decided against moving to sit on the edge of the bed, because here she was a nice distance away from the Prep leader, and therefore had time to react if he decided to pull another hissy-fit. She raised her head to see what sort of expression he was pulling, but he was no longer looking at her.

"Because you seem to be such a decent girl, and yet you chose to...Contaminate yourself with people like Hopkins and Martin. You could have done so much better y'know?"

Chantelle narrowed her eyes at this statement and felt her face grow hot. Her anger was starting to bubble across on the surface and if this guy wasn't careful he was going to receive another verbal lashing.

"They're my friends so I'd prefer you not to talk to them in such a degrading way because it's really not helping things."

This stopped Derby from pacing and he turned round to face her, looking her up and down in something she also regarded to be extremely degrading. She restrained herself from rolling her eyes as he mimicked her posture, folding his own arms across his chest.

"It's not helping things? What things are we talking about my dear?"

But at that moment in time there was a loud bang and a deep rumbling yell from the floor below and Derby's face changed almost immediately. He was now alert and on edge and had turned away from Chantelle stuffing his hands into his pockets and searching for the key to the door.

"Looks like the party is about to begin Chantelle dear...You were the perfect bait," Derby said cheerfully as he glanced down, fiddling with the key trying to unlock the door. Chantelle however, decided now would be the best time to act.

She crossed the room with surprising speed and shoved Derby roughly against the door causing him to stumble and go face first into the hard wood. He let out a loud grunt and whirled round to face her, his eyes looked dazed and distant but before he could say or do anything else, Chantelle brought her knee up quickly and it connected with Derby's own prized jewels. He let out a whimper and he fell heavily onto his knees clutching at his stomach before rolling over and drawing his knees up almost into a fetal position.

"That's what you get when you mess around with me you imbecile..." Chantelle muttered before getting down and picking up the small silver key. She stuffed it unceremoniously into the lock and it twisted easily. Relief swept over her as she finally turned the handle and exited the room in which she had been trapped in for the last however many hours.

Stepping out in the corridor she glanced left then right, and chose the latter which lead into the large room in which she had first been tied to a chair and guarded. It was already a complete wreck. There were poker chips scattered across the floor alongside broken china and splintered wood. The rancid stench of stink bombs lingered in the air, and the faint smell of burning from firecrackers too no doubt. Chantelle wrinkled her nose against the awful smell and quickly crossed the room carefully, aware that there were voices and yelling in the rooms above her. She wondered briefly if that was Jimmy up there...But then a crash from behind her made her spin right around again breaking her train of thought.

Derby was stood in the doorway looking absolutely livid. He was still hunched over slightly holding his stomach which was now cramping in truly agonising ways, but his face was contorted with rage and anger. He didn't appear to even notice the chaotic mess inside the room as he walked slowly towards her. Chantelle glared at him before turning back around and sprinting towards the door, forgetting the fact that the floor was also covered in marbles.

Her left foot slid out from underneath her as one of the small glass balls rolled out away from her, her arms flailed at her sides but there was no getting her balance back. She landed painfully hard on her side and cut her hand on a piece of broken china making her yell out in shock. She retracted her hand in towards her and saw that it was quite a shallow cut, but it was bleeding profusely anyway. Rolling her eyes she tried to stumble to her feet again, kicking and pushing the rest of the marbles out of her way, but that was when Derby's hands fell on her shoulders making her yell out in surprise again.

Even with the excruciating pain in his nether-regions, Derby still found the strength to pull the girl to her feet and force her heavily against the closest wall, taking all the breath out of her as well as getting her blood smeared across the arm of his Aquaberry jumper.

"You really think you could get away with that!" Derby whispered dangerously, glaring at her with immense dislike that was mirrored in Chantelle's own eyes.

However, this friendly little union was interrupted by someone charging into the room and pulling the door off its hinges along with it. It flew across the room and smashed against the opposite wall causing Derby to jump back in sudden terror.

Chantelle pushed away from Derby and just managed to refrain from slipping on another marble by clinging on to the big bulky figure of Russell who was now towering in front of the door, hanging his head slightly so he wouldn't hit the lintel.

Unable to find words to actually thank him, Chantelle slipped through the gap and hurried down the wooden steps. Her hand was now throbbing painfully, whilst her clothes were dotted with her own blood from various others cuts that she had received during her fall but none of that mattered. All she wanted to do was get out of Harrington House and get out fast.

The mess down here was even worse. Soot and ash covered the walls and the once vintage and expensive rug, the chandelier above their heads had somehow exploded and the floor was covered in sprinkles of glass. The paintings had been torn or else ripped down and still the fight was raging on right in front of the doors.

"Chantelle!" A voice cried out...A female voice at that.

Chantelle looked back up at the stairs she just descended and saw a flurry of flaming red hair before being entangled in a clumsy embrace.

"We'll have time for this later Christy, right now we need to move!" Chantelle responded, pushing her friend off her and grabbing her upper-arm instead. "We need to get out of here,"

"Well unless we go straight through all those guys I don't think we have much choice but to wait Chantelle...Russell is upstairs fending the others off and Jimmy's got himself into a fight with Derby. He didn't look too good, what did you do to him?"

"It can wait! Grab hold of my hand...We're gonna go straight through..."

"Are you insane!"

"I think so...On three yeah...One...Two...THREE!"

Christy quickly grasped her best friend's hand and they charged towards the small congregation of Aquaberry scum that were trying to beat on Davis without much success since the people that we're there weren't particularly excellent at fighting in the first place and because Davis was throwing firecrackers all over the lobby.

Hearing a shriek behind her, Chantelle moved faster still automatically ducking her head and shielding her face with her free hand. The grip tightened on Christy's hand and she literally dragged her through the crowd. Something exploded at the side of her, causing her to scream herself and nearly stumble. If it hadn't been for Christy she would have been straight down on the floor again. There was a brief moment of ringing in her ears before it was harshly replaced with yelling, roaring and more explosions. But then she was outside, in the wonderful cold, the wind whipping almost painfully against her face. And even then, she didn't stop running even though the floor was covered in fresh snow and laced with ice, she didn't stop running until she was well out of the vicinity of Harrington House.

Unbeknownst to Christy or Chantelle, Gary Smith had been watching this whole scenario unfold with a sly, smug grin on his face. It was his idea to kidnap Chantelle in the first place and he did love it when plans went as well as this one had...

"Time for part two I think..." He said smirking, before jumping back over the broken wall towards the library.


	23. Aftermath

**_Author's Notes; _**_Thank you for the reviews and comments you guys have made it's spurred me on a little. I'll get a Petey chapter up next, not sure on what it will contain yet though so y'all gonna have to be patient. I'm aware that I tend to make small mistakes in the duration of my story so I apologise for that and thank you for correcting me :) it proves how much attention you pay to my story! Sometimes even more than me. I was unsure about this following chapter but I'd already done 3000+ words for it so I thought oh hell why not. I hope you enjoy it. It's getting difficult to fit Gary in these days_

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****Chapter 23 – Aftermath**

It had only been a couple of hours since Chantelle had escaped from Harrington House, but she had chosen to leave the safe confines of the Girl's Dormitory to go meet up with Davis, Christy and Jimmy down at the beach. The snow was starting to fall thick and fast, and the temperature must've plummeted several degrees as they sat on the rocks under the bridge talking about the events that had taken place. All four of them looked a little worse for wear, with Jimmy sporting a black eye and a swollen lip whilst Davis was still covered in smouldering ash from the firecrackers he had been flinging around the lobby area.

"Derby got what was coming to him," Jimmy was saying, leaning forward and touching his swollen lip delicately. "Can't believe that scumbag thought he could get away with kidnapping someone!"

Christy was sat beside Davis who had his arm around her shoulders. She was staring over at Chantelle who had so far remained quiet about the entire situation, even when she was sat in her dorm room she hadn't really spoken much. It must've been quite an ordeal for her.

"Well we taught those trust-fund babies a lesson Jim!" Davis said cheerfully, pulling Christy a little closer to him as he spoke. "They aren't likely to start on us again, not until they've had time to recover, Derby looks like raw meat man!"

Jimmy turned his head in Chantelle's direction, and still she didn't speak. He frowned a little and wondered briefly whether he should go over and give her a little bit of comfort, something like what Davis was doing with Christy now...Then thought against it.

"I didn't think I was going to get out of there," Chantelle started, startling all three of them. Their eyes swivelled towards her as she spoke. "I know it sounds stupid because someone would have found out in the end, but at the time I thought I was going to be stuck in there for good. They even went about giving me my very own room, bringing in food and drink for me, fresh clothes...It was like I was their own personal prisoner."

The anger which had been abated after Jimmy succeeded in giving Derby a beat-down was now beginning to bubble up to the surface again. He disliked the Preps a great deal, but now it was turning in to pure hatred. He averted his gaze away from Chantelle briefly, to keep himself under control.

"Then Derby came in to see me after keeping all his little minions on guard...Well Parker mainly. I think it was like, some sort of punishment. I don't know. But you could tell he didn't want to be there, every-time he came in I attempted to speak to him but he'd just avoid my gaze and then walk straight back out without saying a word."

Christy shifted slightly on the boulder she was sat on, and Davis' arm tightened around her almost as though he was afraid she was suddenly going to slide away and disappear. His attention however, was firmly on Chantelle as she continued her story.

"Anyway, Derby came in to talk to me in person and started going on about you," Chantelle continued, gesturing towards Jimmy who didn't look the slightest bit surprised. "Started insulting you saying you were too irrational to actually get a plan together to 'rescue' me. I told him to quit running his mouth cause he had no idea what he was talking about..."

Jimmy felt a smile creep up at the corners of his mouth, the fact that Chantelle was brave enough to speak out for him when they had been arguing about Parker previously made him feel both guilty and proud. He should have never doubted her...

"And I guess I was right wasn't I?" Chantelle asked, finally smiling herself. "I didn't even know if any of you had the slightest idea where I was. True I was starting to get worried, a little nervous in fact. But I knew it wouldn't have taken long, I mean either you would have found out yourselves or they would have gone blabbing...On Derby's orders of course."

"It was me." Christy said quietly, glancing at Jimmy before continuing on. "I found that little note you got, I was keeping an eye on you when you were opening all your Christmas presents. I knew I shouldn't have been nosying about...But you didn't come back to the dorm room and I knew almost instantly something was wrong so...I sort of poked around a little and found it in between the mattress and the bed frame."

Chantelle looked across at Christy and found that she didn't know exactly what to say about it. The gaze her best friend was giving her however, made Christy feel slightly uncomfortable and she shifted again, avoiding eye contact before continuing her own story.

"I left almost straight away; it was obvious something was terribly wrong. I didn't want to go roaming around on my own so I wandered over to the Boy's Dormitory, planning on getting Jimmy even though it was like 7am or something stupid like that..."

"It was a good job I had errands to run," Jimmy interjected folding his arms over his coat and studying Christy briefly. "I saw her running as I was biking back into school so I went over to see what was going on."

"And I just gave him the pink slip of paper. I think it sort of explained itself don't you think?" Christy asked, glancing back across at Chantelle who nodded in agreement. "Then we went round to the library we sort of turned into CSI's of the sort when we were there, trying to see if we could get some sort of idea of where you disappeared off to."

"It was a good job there wasn't any fresh snow or we would have missed that and the glove too. You must've put up a real struggle," Jimmy continued with a ghost of a smile caressing his lips. "But yeah, there were drag marks and footprints in the snow; they were frozen over from the cold so it was truly a good thing that the snow held off for a few hours or we would have completely missed it and might still be wandering around trying to find out where the hell you were..." Jimmy added, raising his eyebrows whilst Davis and Chantelle's eyes moved from Christy to Jimmy almost as though they were watching a tennis game.

"We sorta sat there and talked about what could have happened, and then Pinky sprang to mind. The fact that she was strutting around the place with that smug expression on her face...Everything just clicked. We knew almost straight away what had happened, I guess it just took a little while to sink in properly. I had no idea they would be capable of such things y'know?"

Davis nodded this time, "Just like what I said right Christ?"

"Yeah, even he took some persuading to come along for the ride..." Christy responded with a shrug.

"I guess it was just a really unorthodox method in luring Jimmy in, I mean they could have done numerous things, yet they went with kidnapping. It's something people wouldn't expect isn't it?" Chantelle piped up, altering her scarf so that it covered more of her face so less was exposed to the bitingly cold wind. "I mean the school could have ended up closing Harrington House down if they'd known they were going around kidnapping people and holding them hostage...But if news got out Crabblesnitch wouldn't believe it for a second. Nobody would..."

"It's pretty clever actually," Christy added, shaking her head. "A kidnapping at Bullworth...It's almost too crazy to believe. If I hadn't witnessed it first-hand I don't think even I would have believed it..."

"Exactly." Chantelle said briefly, before smiling again. "Now if Crabblesnitch chooses to suddenly do an inspection of the school and decides to go to Harrington House, he's going to walk straight into something that resembles a war-zone, ask around about what's gone off and all the blame is going to go straight on you Jimmy. I think that was another side-effect of their plan. If they couldn't beat you, blame you."

"And then when you get called in for questioning, what are you going to say? Oh well you see, they decided to kidnap a girl in hopes of luring me in and starting a fight?" Christy added, raising her eyebrows whilst Jimmy opened his mouth to respond and then closed it again quickly, realising just how stupid it did sound.

"Well let's just hope Crabblesnitch keeps to himself then," Davis interrupted, giving all three of them a sweeping gaze. "He rarely ever inspects the school, I think he just gave in eventually...Unless of course the Preps decide to spill the beans themselves."

"Knowing them they probably would." Chantelle replied shortly, glancing across at Jimmy who was still speechless. "But at least they got what they deserved, and at least I'm out of that place."

"Actually, I was wondering about that." Christy cut in, looking at her best friend with a curious expression. "How did you actually get out of there, I mean you said you were locked in the room right?"

This brought another brief smile to Chantelle's lips and she nodded, "Yeah I was. But when you lot made your arrival with a nice big bang, Derby turned his back on me and got out his key to go and greet you...Then I slammed him against the wall and gave him a nice hefty hit where it hurts. He was down on the floor and I picked up the key and made a quick exit...I was in the room with all the poker tables and poker chips when he recovered. He came chasing after me and I slipped and fell on a marble...That's how I got this," She continued, extending her hand and showing them a now healing cut that sliced across her palm. "That and many other cuts and bruises...Derby had me up against the wall and I'm pretty sure you and Christy must've been upstairs, but then Russell charged through the door and scared Derby half to death. I slipped away and made a break for it then Christy caught up with me...We sprinted for the door, I think a firecracker exploded next to my ear but we just kept running until we were back in the Girl's Dormitory...And that they say, is that."

There was a few minutes of thoughtful silence as they all sat and mulled over everything that had been said before Chantelle finally got to her feet. The cold was getting a little too much to contend with now and she just wanted to be somewhere warm and comfortable.

"I'm going to go get a bite to eat I think, coming?" She asked, looking down at Jimmy first, then Christy and Davis.

"Yeah, I'll go. I'm starved, must be all that fighting." Jimmy said grinning before getting to his own feet. Christy and Davis both shook their heads and seemed content with just sitting under the bridge together for awhile.

"I'll see you in a bit," Christy said smiling, watching her and Jimmy walk off.

"See ya!" Davis called after their retreating backs.

Jimmy and Chantelle walked across the beach in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. It had been a weird couple of days and Chantelle had a feeling that it was only the beginning. Jimmy was making enemies at an alarmingly fast rate and with the way things we're going, she doubted they were just going to sit back and let him roam free around the school. True Derby had received a beating at the hands of Jimmy Hopkins but she doubted it was enough to keep the Preps away permanently.

No...For that, Jimmy would have to prove himself by going in alone, and by the expression on his face as she looked across to observe him, she had an idea that that time would come soon.

"Where do you want to go?" Jimmy asked as they began to ascend the stairs leading up to the pavement.

"Burger Joint, I fancy some greasy fatty foods after the crap they were feeding me," Chantelle responded with a weak smile. Jimmy returned the smile and they crossed the deserted road towards the Burger Joint. Not surprisingly, they both automatically chose the long way round in which they would be able to avoid most of the places in which the Preps usually hung out, including the theatre and the Aquaberry store.

"You know it's not over right?" Jimmy asked as they walked on side-by-side, occasionally staring into the shop windows with dull curiosity. "I mean with the Preps..."

"Yeah I know. I also know you're not going to stop until you've finally got them under control...Like the Bullies right?" Chantelle questioned as they passed the bike-shop, turned the corner and eyed the Burger Joint up ahead.

"Yup, that's right. Getting used to the way I work now right?"

"I can't say I like it, but you gotta do what you gotta do. And another thing, can we like not jump down each other's throats next time something happens?"

Turning his head to face Chantelle he gave her a small smile and shook his head. "Ok, I promise to talk to you properly before I let my anger get the best of me. I have to say I was pretty shocked with the whole you and Parker thing though. I guess I was just...Jealous?"

Chantelle opened her mouth to reply but found she had nothing to say in response to him. At first she was just conning the guy out of information which could potentially help Jimmy get the upper-hand against the Preps. But strange things happen, and she guessed developing more than friendly feelings for Parker was one of them. She would never tell Jimmy this though; she doubted she would even tell Christy. This was a secret she would keep firmly to herself.

"We're going to get snowed in at this rate," Jimmy added hastily, covering up the awkward silence that was descending over them both. Chantelle stirred herself out of her own thoughts and watched the snowflakes start falling quicker before turning her attention on Jimmy himself. He was blushing slightly, or it could just be the freezing cold but either way he looked a little on edge.

He quickened his pace as they approached the Burger Joint and held the door open for her which made Chantelle giggle a little. It was so strange seeing Jimmy act like a gentleman, as harsh as it seemed. He just wasn't the type at all, whether he was trying to impress a girl or not. Jimmy heard her and he couldn't help but smile in response.

"I'm sorry Jimmy, it's just...Weird." Chantelle said, before bursting into little giggles again as she walked into the restaurant with Jimmy following closely behind. "You just don't seem the type!"

"I'm not that's why!" Jimmy responded, laughing himself now as they moved towards a table that was near the windows and as far away from other people as possible. "I can't say I'm the type to go out of my way to impress a girl if I'm honest."

They both burst out into light-hearted laughter as they sat down opposite each other, automatically reaching for the menus that were scattered in the middle of the table. And that was also when Jimmy's cell-phone went off.

Chantelle lowered the menu and watched as Jimmy stuffed his hand into his jeans pocket and glared at the screen almost as though the cell had offended him somehow. Rolling his eyes, he pressed a button before putting it to his ear.

"Sup? What? Well yeah I am actually...Seriously? Well it's sort of a bad time...Trust you to get...What? Shit Petey what the hell? Looks like I'm gonna have to aren't I...Yeah...Bye."

"You're going aren't you?" Chantelle asked smiling, masking over the brief spurt of anger she suddenly felt. She kept the fake smile plastered to her face as Jimmy got to his feet, cramming his cell-phone back into his jeans pocket and looking suspiciously around.

"I'm really sorry Chantelle," Jimmy began but Chantelle just shook her head. The flash of anger she had felt was beginning to subside. She understood that Jimmy was really quite a busy person and that if Petey was in trouble he had a duty to attend to...But the thought of eating alone didn't really appeal to her. She stood up herself and smiled at him once again.

"Don't worry about it. What's Petey done?"

"He's done nothing. But apparently he's down at the Pier and a couple of Preps keep eyeing him up. They know I'm like his only mate, apart from you of course and they think beating him to a pulp will piss me off. I guess it would, but then again it's just the fact that it's _them_."

Sighing, Chantelle shook her head, "Those guys just don't know when to quit...Go ahead, you're going to have to run down there if you're gonna make it in time before those guys do something to him. I'll be fine, I'll go back to the dorms."

"What about eating something?"

"I suddenly don't feel that hungry. Look I'll be fine. I doubt they're going to attempt another kidnapping plot, especially since their previous one failed that bad. Go on, I'll probably see you tomorrow."

Jimmy nodded his head before turning away and heading quickly for the door, knocking some menus off the tables as he went. Chantelle watched him leave before sighing again. She didn't mind being alone, in fact sometimes it helped sort her head out but this wasn't one of those times...Now she just felt incredibly on edge.

She had a feeling that Jimmy would have stayed with her if she had told him to, but if Petey was indeed in trouble it would have been incredibly unfair. Getting to her feet she glanced around the joint before taking her leave. Choosing to walk the long way by going along the shops on the beach-front, Chantelle stuffed her hands into the pockets of her coat and kept her head lowered as she moved quickly.

As she walked past the Shiny Bikes shop and past the alley-way, she turned her head automatically to the left just as an arm snaked out and grabbed her in a vice-like grip, pulling her roughly into the alley-way. She took a deep breath and was about to let out an ear-splitting scream until she caught sight on who had got her attention.

"Gary!" She whispered in outrage, snapping her arm out of his grip and glaring at him. Her heart felt like it was ready to explode right out of her rib-cage, especially since she thought this was another kidnap attempt. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I needed to talk to you..." Gary started quietly, staring at her with a blank expression. This slightly unnerved Chantelle and she took a few steps away from him.

"I don't want to talk," She said quickly as her back hit the stone wall and she glanced sideways to attempt to slip away. Gary looked unstable once again; she needed to get out of here, to get to the safety of her dormitory.

"I planned it." He said simply, finally breaking that unnerving stare as he looked down at his feet. "I planned the kidnapping. It was me, I told Harrington to take you because I thought that Hopkins wouldn't have been able to find you and then you would think he didn't care anymore,"

Chantelle's head snapped back to Gary and the brief fear that had overwhelmed her just previously, was suddenly converted to anger. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?"

Opening his mouth to speak, he heard voices approaching them and he leant towards her grabbing her wrist again and pulling her further into the alley-way so that they wouldn't be disturbed. Chantelle's eyebrows knitted together and she wrenched her wrist out of his grip for the second time, anger just starting to bubble over.

"Look Chantelle, you need to stop hanging around with Hopkins." Gary said shortly, his eyes now darting wildly around. He was starting to look a little insane. "There's going to be a lot more stuff going down and if you're still sticking with Hopkins you're just going to get more..."

"I don't care!" Chantelle interrupted, her hands clenching into tight fists. "I've had enough of your mind games Gary! I'll hang around with who I want, when I want and you have no right to tell me what to do!" She snapped viciously, watching with brief satisfaction as his expression dropped slightly but he regained his composure and glared at her.

"Fine then," He started coldly, "Don't tell me I didn't warn you, but things are just going to get worse from here on out..."

"Why don't you just leave him alone?"

Gary let out a harsh, bitter laugh and shook his head, "You have no right to tell me what to do," He mimicked, his eyes narrowing dangerously as they stood in the narrow alley-way leaving Chantelle with her mouth hanging open speechless. Smirking at her he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, "I gave you the chance to get away from Hopkins. I gave you the chance to come with me but you still side with that...That arrogant thug. Now you can truly see what you've got yourself in for. The kidnapping was just the start."

Chantelle stared at him, still having no idea what to say. Once again his mood had changed faster than a sprinter on a racetrack and she didn't want to stick around for much longer not when the past experiences have told her he had no fears of pushing her around.

"Leave me the hell alone Gary." She snarled attempting to push past him to leave the alley-way, stumbling slightly over a left-over box. Gary blocked her way out, still wearing the same unstable smirk.

"Things could have been so great Chantelle, we could have ruled over the school _together._ Doesn't that sound great?" He sneered, placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her steadily back whilst Chantelle slowly shook her head.

"Get your hands off me,"

"We could have come up with the best plans, got everyone on our side by turning people against that simple-minded fool...People are so easy to manipulate these days." He said, his voice softening as he remained extremely close to her, his faces now only inches away from hers. "So easy to...Control..."

"Get off me!" Chantelle snapped once more, pushing him away from her so he fell back against the wall. Moving her left hand back, with all her force she pushed it forward so that it collided with his right cheek with an echoing slap.

Letting out a low grunt, his hand went straight up to his cheek to press against the spot which was now growing bright red whilst Chantelle's hand tingled uncomfortably. Ignoring the scandalised look on his face, she pushed roughly past him forcing him back into the wall again. "I told you to leave me alone Gary," She said coldly as he glanced up at her. "Now let that be a warning to you,"

With that she turned on her heel and continued on out of the alley-way, her heart pumping furiously and the adrenaline at an all time high.

Well that told him...Right.


	24. Glass Jaw

_I'm back! At least briefly! I had this huge inspiration to write a new chapter, plus I do miss Bully! I had a dream about it last night so that must be where it stemmed from. This is quite the aggressive slightly violent chapter so I threw in some lovey-dovey stuff too. I know it's been awhile but I will try my best to please you all. If you have any requests please let me know and I'll try and fulfil them! So yeah please read and please REVIEW. I need to know your thoughts.  
_

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**Chapter 24 – Glass Jaw**

It was late afternoon and Chantelle had only just woken up from a troubled sleep. Once again it had taken her several hours to finally drift off and even when she did it was full of nightmare scenarios and she often woke up in a light layer of sweat, breathing quickly. Every-time she did she would look across at the other occupied bed, thinking that maybe she had called out or yelled but she would see Christy still sleeping soundly unaware of her friend's discomfort. She didn't understand why she kept constantly having these lurid dreams because the whole kidnapping event had taken place over a week ago and she believed that she was fine and easily getting over the ordeal…Except for in her sleep. She constantly saw Jimmy getting viciously assaulted; saw Christy struck by oncoming firecrackers and of course herself being held by Derby or sometimes even Parker with huge smirks on their faces, their laughter would still ring in her ears when she opened her eyes and glared at the ceiling.

However, she had kept all this information to herself. There was no need to tell any of the others, for what good would come from it? They would ask questions and probably try to be her personal therapist and she was quite content with how things were now. Her and Jimmy were friends again, and the Aquaberry snobs had kept their distance. She hadn't seen any of them since and that suited her just fine, even though in all honesty she had barely left the confines of the girls dormitory, for it wasn't just the Preps that she was avoiding.

After the brief confrontation with a slightly bipolar Gary Smith, she had been doing her upmost best to make sure she didn't go anywhere alone. This was genuinely harder said than done since Christy often wanted to spend time with Davis (and Chantelle obviously didn't want to see them smooching for hours on end) whilst Jimmy was always out and about, running errands or doing what he called his 'duties' to the school. But more recently she had been spending increasing amounts of time with Peter Kowalski. After their initial meeting at the very start of the year, when she had cornered him and demanded that he answered all her questions and upset him in the process, they now had quite the pleasant friendship going on.

Just yesterday they had spent several hours together in the library going over some Biology work they had been set. Pete had gratefully helped her with the questions she had gotten confused over whilst in return she granted him some much needed company. Naturally, it wasn't really the work they were interested in, mainly because all the teachers with the exception of Mr Hattrick had given up on the students and teaching in general and just handed out work-sheets and booklets full of questions for any attendees wanting to 'learn'. But it was the fact that they had time for one another when the others did not, plus Petey was a good listener.

Whilst Chantelle was thinking about all of this, the door to the bedroom opened causing her to come out of her reverie and turn around. Christy had walked in and was pulling a scarf off from around her neck before she stopped and gave Chantelle a warm smile.

"You're awake then? I left about one this afternoon and you were still fast asleep, I didn't want to bother you,"

Chantelle watched as her best friend crossed the room and started taking off her winter gear, waiting patiently until she was sat comfortably on her own bed before starting off a conversation. This in itself was a very rare occasion; usually Christy was glued to Davis or off doing something with Angie and sometimes even Mandy.

"So where've you been most of the day then?" Chantelle asked curiously, there was no hint of malice or accusation in her voice and it was this that Christy liked the best about Chantelle.

"The Burger Joint with Jimmy and Davis, it turns out that most of the food that Edna has been serving is about a week old. Angie has had really bad stomach cramps and food poisoning from it; she went to the hospital yesterday. We were supposed to be catching a film you see,"

A brief spurt of fiery anger flared up in Chantelle for just a few minutes before she allowed it to rest, and what she thought through that brief few seconds was that her best friend didn't want to hang with her…That she didn't even want to be around her! Perhaps Christy knew more about Chantelle's night terrors than she was letting on.

"You _could_ have woken me up, I would've gone and watched the movie with you," Chantelle said trying her upmost best to keep any sort of blame out of her voice. True, she was feeling slightly left out and quite a bit jealous. But then again, what sort of person didn't tell their best friend they were still a little shaken by being kidnapped and still woke up in terror from it?

"Chantelle," Christy started softly, trying to figure out the best way to approach the oncoming subject. Chantelle could almost see the cogs in her brain working as she tried to find the correct words. She decided not to press on and instead waited patiently for the imminent arrival of what she had been avoiding for the past week.

"I know it's wrong of me to have kept it quiet and that I probably should have talked to you about it sooner…But this isn't all just one-sided either. I wish you would have just told me," Christy said quietly, lowering her eyes to the carpet and feeling slightly nervous. Of course, Chantelle knew exactly what she was talking about, nevertheless she refused to make the subject easier and remained silent, waiting for Christy to continue. "I know you've been having trouble sleeping and when you do, I hear you moaning sometimes you call out stuff and then go quiet again. You fidget and thrash about too. I've let you sleep 'til the late afternoon most of the week because…Well because I know how little sleep you're actually getting."

Finally, the one thing she had kept from Christy was right there in the open, almost seeming to reverberate off the walls. The room was doused in awkward silence whilst Christy kept her eyes on the ground; whilst Chantelle processed the information.

"It's not what they did to me that causes the problem," Chantelle finally spoke on as the uneasy silence stretched from seconds to uncomfortable minutes, "It's what they could've done to you and Jimmy…Even Davis and Russell. That's what I keep dreaming about. I've seen Jimmy get beaten to a pulp time and time again, with bats and pieces of wood, with those stupidly decorated plates they had mounted up on the walls even with pieces of glass from those cheap windows and doors. I've seen you get pelted with firecrackers and laughed at…"

"Chantelle," Christy interjected, quickly changing the stricken expression that had been plastered on her face, "Nothing like that happened and there's nothing much else for me to say except…It's over. They haven't tried anything since then and nor are they going to because…"

Silence.

"Because what Christy?" Chantelle asked firmly, staring at Christy with intensity that made her friend finally look back up at her, and causing her to fidget uncomfortably.

"Jimmy…He's gone to finish it. And I mean once and for all," Christy finally replied, still fiddling with sleeve of her jumper, "He went straight over to the Glass Jaw to fight off Derby in what he said would be a fair and final fight. Davis wanted to go with him but he said no and he meant it…You should have seen the look on…Chantelle what're you doing?"

There was absolutely no need for this question because it was already quite clear what she was doing. The moment that Christy had mentioned the Glass Jaw, Chantelle had literally jumped up from the bed and had started to get changed out of her pyjamas and into some decent clothing. She decided to ignore the question, since answering it would be stating the obvious and instead started pulling on warm items of clothing, finally finishing off with her coat, gloves, scarf and hat. However, before she could even attempt to get out the door, Christy was already stood in front of it, shaking her mane of fiery red hair.

"There's no way I'm letting you go out there!"

Chantelle started at her in utter outrage but didn't do much else. What could she do? Manhandle her best friend? Shove her aside and go tearing over to the Glass Jaw to face up to those that kidnapped her?

"Christy…I have to do this. Think about it. This might be the only way to help me get fully over this and if what you're saying is true then Jimmy would have probably already beat them or been beaten up himself. I have to face up to them and I have to do it now…Whilst I've still got the guts,"

Christy remained fixed in her place against the door for only a few more seconds before she stepped aside.

"Fine but I'm coming with you!" She stated firmly, crossing the room again and grabbing her coat from the back of the desk chair. However, this was when Chantelle stopped her, shaking her head briefly.

"No. This has to be something I do myself. I'll be fine, I'll have Jimmy. I'll be back soon, don't come over because we'll come to you."

With this, Chantelle quickly left the room before Christy could even utter another word. She descended the stairs quickly, not checking to see who was hanging around and completely missing the fact that Pinky had been stood near the door listening to the entire conversation. It was only when she spoke out in a shrill, cold voice that Chantelle turned around and acknowledged her existence.

"Awww, is the poor little girly still scared of the big boys. Can she still not believe she was taken away from the safety of her stinking shit-hole bedroom?" Pinky said in her attempt at a mock baby voice which grated awfully on Chantelle's ears. She cringed slightly and was on the verge of ignoring her before she spoke again.

"You know, even though he's probably getting beaten to a pulp right now I do like Jimmy and no matter what happens he's always going to come running back to me. You're always going to be second-best you know, that's why he never hangs out with you anymore…And Christy? She's getting bored of you too. It won't be long 'til she goes back to her psychotic self and is threatening to set fire to the school again," She added gleefully and this was when Chantelle temporarily lost it. She turned back to Pinky who still looked triumphant up until the point where she finally saw the fist coming towards her right cheek. She attempted to get out of the way but it was already too late and the fist collided painfully with her jaw instead.

A scream of pain erupted from Pinky as she staggered backwards, pressing a hand towards the throbbing pain emanating from her jaw. Chantelle didn't care, even when the other girls started to pop their heads out of the bedrooms doors, she didn't even care when Christy stumbled out of the room looking both shocked and awed. Instead she shoved Pinky with as much force as she could muster, and the Aquaberry snob fell backwards against the wall and smacking her head with a sickening thud in the process.

"Here's one for the road, keep your damn advice to yourself you stuck-up bitch!" Chantelle spat viciously before kicking the sprawling leg of Pinky's aside so she could continue down the steps. She could hear Christy calling out for her but she ignored that too. There would be time for cooling down and talking later, but right now her blood was boiling and her rage was on fire. This was the opportune moment to finally face up to the second thing she had been avoiding for the past week.

The journey to the Glass Jaw would have been a quick one because Chantelle had started sprinting as soon as she closed the dormitory door. She ran on the fresh layer of snow unafraid of the slippery ice underneath, she ran almost as though she was being chased by the devil himself but when she got to the bridge she was stopped abruptly, almost skidding on the path and landing on the road. Now wouldn't that just be lucky.

Thinking it was Gary again, she almost struck at the person who had grabbed her (how stupid of her to think of them as just a passing adult) but she managed to stop herself just in time and her temper was temporarily abated.

"Chantelle? I know what you're trying to do…Don't go over there. At least not yet."

Chantelle stared at Parker with a blank expression before her eyes hardened her expression along with it.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do! All of this is your damn fault!" She responded coldly, pushing away from him. "If it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have to walk around constantly glancing over my shoulder! I'd be able to leave the girls dormitory without thinking you and your stupid fucking friends are gonna have another attempt at snatching me to try and lure Jimmy in again! You're pathetic!"

Parker allowed her to rant at him, hell he even seemed to accept it which was only further proven when he began to nod his head. Rather than calming her though, this only continued to infuriate Chantelle. She was beginning to find it a real chore to get words to describe exactly how she was feeling so instead she pushed past him and continued her path towards the Glass Jaw.

Not wanting her to leave and knowing that he was going to get an earful and perhaps a few slaps or punches, he extended his arm and grabbed her elbow and succeeded in dragging her back.

"Chantelle I'm sorry!" Parker responded quickly, before she could do either. His face was pleading with her, his eyes full of sympathy and regret. "I didn't want to hurt you! It was never my intention…I…I left them! I left my friends back there because of you Chantelle! When it came down to it I couldn't fight Jimmy, I had no fight left in me. I'm so sorry ! If I knew how I…I wouldn't have gone through with it. I would have stopped it!"

Chantelle shook her head in complete disbelief and that was when Parker saw his chance and took advantage. He leant in and kissed her almost gracefully and delicately and Chantelle's brief shock rendered her incapable of pulling away. Her stomach gave an unsettled flutter before she forced him back away from her for a second time. Her temperature had appeared to increase by several degrees as she tried to regain her posture before another thought finally crossed her mind.

"This is another trick isn't it? Another one of your ploys! Oh I cannot believe you!"

"No, please Chantelle!" Parker called out as she attempted to pass him and was stopped by his arm once more, "This isn't anything to do with the Preps is has to do with me, and with you. I didn't think it was possible, not at the time because I knew I would have been excluded from the only group that accepted me. Chantelle you mean more to me than this…This stupid materialistic crap!" He called out whilst tugging at the powdery blue coat he was wearing. "You mean far more to me than this damn group and I left my leader back there with an irate Hopkins and so far he has outlasted most of my peers! If Harrington knew I wasn't there I'd be kicked out for sure and for God's sake Chantelle it was all for you!"

Confusion had now settled over Chantelle as she watched Parker try his best to make her understand, but she was slowly realising that what he was saying and what he had been saying from the start was the truth. Now that she had calmed down a little she could see it in his eyes, see it in the way he looked at her.

"I've never felt anything like this before, not for anyone." He continued, his tone was now softer and quieter after he was sure she wasn't going to try and storm off or scream at him some more. "Please forgive me Chantelle, I'm sorry. If I knew I would have felt this for you I would have never took you in the first place. I should have persuaded them to find a different way but I was weak. Derby is incredibly persuasive but he's also vain and arrogant. You made me see that, you made me see that I don't need to be accepted to feel happy…What I really want is you."

Chantelle stared at Parker and he stared right back their eyes met and a level of mutual understanding passed between them. There was no need for words as she passed by him with her head lowered against the cold air and there was no need for words as Parker remained on the bridge looking at the place where Chantelle had just been stood, feeling though his heart had just been punctured.

There was no looking back from either of them as Chantelle approached the Glass Jaw. There was no need. She would seek him out herself if there was to be any change in their silent agreement, but right now there were more important things to be dealing with, and her eyes moved instinctively over to the right as she finally crossed the bridge. The building was looming closer, and even though the rage and the temper had been hidden in the depths of her mind she still knew she had to go through with it.

She pushed open the door and was relieved to see that there was nobody on ground floor, which meant that they had either ran off or were upstairs in the office. She could hear muffled voices ahead which confirmed her latter thought and she slowly moved up the stairs on her left. There was definitely no turning back now, and she had no idea what to say or how to even approach the situation but it appeared that luck was on her side, at least for today.

The door burst open and a Prep whom she knew as Gord fell through it, the jumper he was wearing had been singed and was covered in black ashes and what appeared to be egg was splattered across his head. The explosion had been a firecracker, thrown by an incredibly outraged Jimmy who had turned back to the rest of the Preps all rolling around the floor in agony. Derby himself was leaning against the bar with a two black eyes and swelling lip. Chantelle stood by the door, her presence unknown to Jimmy who was now addressing the Preps.

"Who's the boss now?" He called out the room, striding up and down still looking furious. "I can't hear you rich kids," He added again, now leaning over and grabbing Derby by the back of the neck, "Who's the boss now my WASPY little friend? Answer the question!"

"You are!" Derby called out, struggling against the vice-like grip on the back of his neck. Jimmy shook his head, still not impressed with result.

"Louder!" He shouted, the grip still tightening causing Derby to repeat his words louder before Hopkins finally let him go, pushing him heavily to the rug.

"Good! That's right…Me!" Jimmy continued, almost as though he teaching a class of kindergartens. "Now you girls learn to play nice,"

Chantelle remained in the doorway and it wasn't until his speech was over that Jimmy realised she was there. His face flushed slightly, but he didn't look surprised to see her in the slightest.

"And talking about playing nice, I think you all owe someone an apology…Even if I have to force it out of you!" He snarled leaning over to grab Derby who attempted to shrink away from his hand. Chantelle however simply shook her head.

"It's enough to know you beat them. It's enough to know they won't bother you or me again. It's enough." She repeated, nodding her head almost trying to confirm this to her own mind, to settle the score.

Jimmy agreed silently and crossed the room to close the distance between them. He could see the expression on her face and it made his heart almost jittery, his stomach jolt. Putting his arms around her, Chantelle accepted the embrace and valued it and was once again glad that she had him by her side. Glad that they were friends.

"Come on, let's ditch this joint." Jimmy said once they had let go, he extended his arm and Chantelle nodded and smiled. She gratefully took his hand as they made their exit out of the Glass Jaw and into the blustery winter afternoon.


	25. Peter Kowalski

_**Author's Notes:** I really need your reviews guys! I don't know whether people are interested in reading this anymore! Anyway I thought I'd give Chantelle a break and be central around another character instead. Enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!_

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**Chapter 25 – Peter Kowalski **

The library again – nothing ever really changed.

Whilst his best friend was off fighting his own battles and dealing with the pushy cliques of Bullworth he was here, sat in the library with the smell of decaying books and the slight tinge of body odour from the nerds that plagued this place day in and day out, a little like himself perhaps (except for the unhygienic odour, he was always very clean). A small stack of books and a place well hidden between the bookshelves in the corner made it almost impossible to know who he was without further investigations but he knew that nobody would and that was perfectly fine with him. To everyone in this school he was an outsider, someone who didn't belong to a clique – nor could he ever seem to fit into one. He had attempted to join the nerds but they had declined his offer with a sneer and a bray of laughter that he still could hear occasionally in his ears whenever he lapsed into a trance-like state of deep thought…A bit like now.

What with Algernon 'Algie' Papadopoulos running around school with his zipper undone (and probably broken) on his shorts and his weak bladder problems, he certainly had no right to call him 'weird'. And then there was Bucky Pasteur and Melvin O'Conner, both of whom had stood there and laughed at the resentful, disappointed look on his face once Algie had told him no. Bucky had laughed in that high-pitched nasally shriek whilst waving his arms about, one which carried three out-dated and scratched watches whilst Melvin clutched at his overly large protruding stomach, the pencil falling from behind his ear and snapping on the floor, his slicked back hair sticking out on end...And they had the right to call him weird!

Grimacing slightly, Peter forced himself back out of those somewhat painful memories and hauled back to the present. He didn't need those ridiculous idiots anymore because now he had Jimmy Hopkins, and even though he wasn't around a lot it was still good to be able to call him a friend. Of course he never did in public, he knew that Jimmy would make some harsh and terrible come-back that would cut him back down to size and make him feel as insignificant as the nerds made him feel that fateful day last year. But it was good to have someone stick up for him when things were getting a little rough, like that time when the Preps saw him up on the pier and hung back awhile to get some more people together. He had seen them grouping up and knew that something bad was going to happen, and he also knew that even if he did try and make a run for it, they would probably catch up to him and beat him to a pulp. So what else was there to do but to ring Jimmy?

And what did Jimmy do?

Well he came straight over. Jimmy had made it definitely clear that he was busy, and Peter had an idea who he might have been spending his time with, but this in itself was very important too. Plus dates can be rescheduled, but a severe beating could not…This was a one-time thing and they were advancing pretty quickly now. His voice was shaking, he was nervous and his heart had begun to pick up speed. His instincts were telling him to run as he pressed the end button on the cell-phone, shoving it roughly in his pocket without taking his eyes off the oncoming Preps but he didn't. He stood his ground, whatever ground that was.

It was Tad Spencer who climbed up the wooden steps on to the pier first, his eyes flashing in all directions to make sure the area was devoid of any form of authority, and to his sheer luck it was. A sneer crossed his lips as he began to move forward, his feet moving faster and faster. Bryce Montrose had fallen in to step behind him, the steel Aquaberry watch glinting off his right wrist in the dull sunlight. Finally, Justin Vandervelde scrambled forward almost tripping perhaps due to his excitement. There was a leer sprawled across his face as he tugged on the yellow and blue scarf he had wrapped firmly around his neck.

The last two were firm boxers, Peter knew that much. There was some relief knowing that Bif wasn't here but not much. Bif maybe the strongest and the burliest of the Preps but these two were certainly no pushovers, especially considering the fact that Peter hadn't hit a single thing in his life – nor did he want to start right now.

"Well look who we have here boys, it's Hopkins's boyfriend!" Tad said gleefully whilst the other two broke out in gales of fake laughter, their eyes never leaving Peter, not even for a mere second. He knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this without a punch or two, or maybe Jimmy had been held back by another gang of Preps and he would be completely out cold by the time he did make it to the pier. This thought sent a shiver down his spine that was seen by Tad who made another joke about it causing the others to crack up with laughter again.

The laughter tapered away once more but before Tad could say a word there was a loud splat that seemed magnified a hundred times by the silence now surrounding the pier. Bryce's head snapped forward and fell naturally back again, but there was an addition to what he was wearing on his head. Egg.

The yolk slopped on to his Aquaberry coat and he let out a yell of disgust as he attempted to wipe it off his shoulder with his gloved hand, but all that did was make it ten times worse.

Whilst Bryce was preoccupied with the slop now covering his clothes, Tad and Justin spun quickly on their heels in time to see Jimmy Hopkins pull his arm back, ready to launch another egg into their little group.

"Don't you losers ever give it a break! I already beat your sorry asses once! I guess you want it kicking a bit more!"

Tad let out an indistinguishable string of curses as he and Justin ran towards Jimmy and was cut off as the egg cracked straight in his face, the yolk spilling out into his mouth, down his neck and running quickly into his hair. He attempted to stop too quickly and tripped over his own foot landing with a heavy thud on the wooden surface.

Justin was the only one who managed to put in a few punches, and what with Jimmy beating them at boxing before, was only too accustomed to ducking and dodging. He got hit once, and that was on the right ear which seemed to swell and grow hot but he ignored that and instead planted on of his own right-hooks straight into Justin's pointed face. There was a moment of pure shock with Justin holding his face, blood slowly pouring through his fingers before he sat down hard on his ass and let out a yell of pain.

Knowing that this would be his only chance of getting out of here without even a bruise, Peter side-stepped Tad who was furiously wiping the egg off his face and ran past Bryce who was still yelling in anger about the state of his coat and finally passed Justin whose eyes were streaming from the pain in his nose.

Peter blinked stupidly again and saw the small stack of books in front of him realising he had one again drifted off into one of those little memories. He shook his head to get a stronger grip on the present and glanced down to see what he had been reading, but that's when he was disturbed.

A soft voice spoke out from above those books, and he had been naïve not to see that the stack had indeed been decreased because the person in front of him right now had shifted them aside.

"Excuse me? Pete? Sorry if I disturbed you but…You don't mind if I sit with you do you?"

It took a long time for this simple sentence to actually penetrate Peter's mind, he was still thinking he was having some sort of hallucination or dream when she spoke again, a little quicker this time.

"Sorry, I knew I'd disrupted whatever you were doing. It's alright I'll sit over there,"

"No wait," Peter said, standing up for no apparent reason and knocking the book he was reading off the table in his haste. "It's okay, you can sit here…I guess I just wasn't expecting someone to come over. It's rarely anyone ever does,"

Chantelle Matthews gave him a warm smile before leaning over and picking up the book that Peter had been reading and placing it back on the table.

"Sorry if I lost your page," Chantelle started quietly but Peter just shook his head, it didn't really matter, after all he was barely even paying attention himself. He waited until she was seated and had opened her own book before he joined her. It wasn't really cramped, it just appeared that way because of the little shelter of books he had surrounded himself with, however Chantelle easily took the initiative and started to shift them around, giving them maximum space with maximum cover. Peter smiled nervously to himself but it was quickly removed from his face, he didn't want her to think he was some weird stalker kid.

Shifting in his seat until he found a position that was somewhat comfortable (he suddenly felt a little flustered in the company of someone else, especially since it was female) he glanced across at Chantelle who was now flicking through a particularly tatty biology book.

"So what brings you to the library then? You're usually hanging around with Christy or Jimmy, I rarely see you in here…If you don't mind me asking?" Peter said his voice temporarily strong before dwindling down to being very quiet again.

Chantelle didn't look up from her book as she continued skimming across the pages, her eyes darting from left to right, "Jimmy is doing his own errands as usual and Christy is probably with Davis or Angie. It's been an awkward week; I think we're just giving each other some time to adjust." She replied quietly, the pages still turning however Peter noticed that her eyes were no longer moving and were fixed instead somewhere near the centre of the book.

"I didn't want to stay in my room," Chantelle continued even though Peter had not even thought about asking another question, "And I didn't want to leave the campus on my own so I came here, it's usually a safe place to go, don't you think?"

This time Chantelle did look up at him, her hand lying on an open page of the human anatomy, her eyes full of angst and perhaps even slight fear. It made Peter feel a little down and he moved his eyes from her gaze, settling on that slightly torn page, but he nodded his head all the same.

He knew what had happened to her, and Jimmy had assured him that nobody else except the people who had gotten her out of Harrington House knew about the kidnapping, and nobody else would. He had given Jimmy his word, plus who was he going to tell anyway? Gary had gone completely AWOL and Peter no longer considered him a friend, even though Gary had been in touch several times in this past month alone.

"You know?" Chantelle said suddenly, looking up from the book whilst her finger still remained pressed on the page from the line she had just been reading. "You know don't you?"

Peter opened his mouth but no words would come out. He was suddenly forced to remember his and Chantelle's very first meeting in which she had demanded answers to questions about Gary Smith and had continued to make him feel like absolute shit. He really didn't want to have to defend himself, and he didn't want to bring up Jimmy's name. Instead of lying however, he proceeded to just nod his head. Chantelle observed him for a few seconds and looked back down at her book.

"I thought Jimmy might have told you. I don't mind, if he can trust you I guess…I guess I can too." She said solemnly whilst Peter heaved a mental sigh of relief.

"It must have been really bad," Peter started, before also mentally slapping himself. Why did he even start this conversation? He could have simply remained in silence, pretending to read his book on Roman history and just enjoyed the peaceful company that her presence had brought. But instead of just quitting at that sentence, he continued, "I mean…I couldn't even imagine what it must've been like. To just be taken like that, it's not right."

Abandoning her book completely this time, Chantelle leant back in her seat with her head slightly turned so she could see him fully. There was a small, sad smile pressed on her lips which made Peter slightly unnerved but he did not break the stare this time. He held his ground…

"It's okay. I'm okay. But you are right, it was bad. But it's something you live to forget and it'll be alright in the end," She added slowly, picking her words delicately. There was no need for him to know about the dreams or the fear of walking the school campus alone. It would be over soon, she would get her courage back she knew that. She could feel it.

Feeling the sudden urge to change the subject, Peter nodded his head quickly and then shifted in his seat once again. This time though, it was to get an even better view of her book. "What is it you're stuck on? Maybe I can help? I'll say I'm pretty good at Biology if you wanted me to be a little egotistical."

He didn't just feel the relief of the sudden change of topic; he could also see it on her face. The change of expression was almost as quick as the subject change and she moved forward again tapping the anatomy with her finger.

"It's not so much the anatomy I think it's the genetics that confuses me, and I should be really good at that stuff. Well I was in my old school," Chantelle said with a smile and a shrug. "Maybe it's just Bullworth – maybe it just makes me stupid."

They both let out a little gale of laughter at this comment before Peter launched into a brief explanation of Mendel and genetics.

And so it went on for about a week, Peter offering Chantelle support, advice and general academic help, Chantelle giving Peter company and friendship. He felt that it was save enough to call them friends now and he doubted that she would put him down so harshly if he had said that in public.

But here he was again, sat in the library.

There was no longer a huge cluster of books surrounding him, Chantelle had given him the confidence to sit there with just the ones he wanted to read she had given him the confidence to make himself visible to the other students who wandered around the shelves without fearing what they may say or do and they never really said or did anything, much to his pleasant surprise.

However, as he sat in in his seat attempting to read his book, his eyes were constantly drawn to the darkened archway. He was expecting to Chantelle to come through there, her skirt twitching from either side as she walked, her scarf wrapped loosely around her neck and her book tucked firmly against her chest underneath her crossed arms. But there was no sign of her, nor had there been any yesterday.

He knew that Jimmy had finally beaten the Preps, he had boasted about that as soon as he had reached the dormitory. But now the Greasers had started to become a problem. It was only small for now, some misjudgement on either part he reckoned, but it was sure to become stagnant and repulsive and pretty soon Jimmy would probably be dealing with the big boss, Johnny Vincent…The ever elusive Johnny Vincent.

But now that the Preps were under control, Peter had come to the conclusion that Chantelle had finally done what she had said she would do and had gotten over the whole kidnapping feat. If that was so then he was happy for her, of course he was, but there was also a small part of him that was disgruntled by this news. He feared that Chantelle would forget all about him and that they would just drift apart like so many others before her…That this week would just be some brief thing for her and nothing more. It's not like he was anything special…Right?

Tugging at the sleeves of his pink shirt, he finally lowered his eyes and slammed the book shut. The library suddenly didn't feel that inviting, not like it used to be. That old magic feeling had probably faded with his and Chantelle's friendship and he wanted out.

Leaving the books out on the desk he made a sharp exit, being as quick as possible so as to avoid being called back by the librarian. He didn't want to spend any longer in that place, not when he felt so…Awkward.

Once he had left the tightening confines of the library and felt the cool January air on his skin he felt much better, but the feeling of being abandoned, the feeling of being lonely remained firm on his shoulders. He remained stood in the same place for a few more minutes, aware that the cold was beginning to dig through his thin shirt and his school jumper down into his skin, and biting damn hard. His teeth clattered together as he began to shiver and he started to move. His destination was the boys dormitory…There was nothing exactly to do in there (the tv would most likely be in use, and so would the arcade games) but at least it was warm. Perhaps he could just sit down on his bed and…

"Psssst…Petey!"

Peter stopped abruptly and nearly skidded on some black ice. He waved his arms a little for balance before glancing around. He had just walked underneath the stone archway on his journey to the dormitory before he had stopped, and eerily enough there wasn't anybody around at the time.

"Stop dancing around, I'm over here,"

He was a little bit more prepared for the voice to speak again and his head snapped to the right when he heard it drifting over to him. There was a face peering at him behind the chain-link fence and he felt a heavy dread fill his stomach.

_No not now…Not when I don't have any other option…_

Still remained fixed in his place, the other boy began to move along the fence getting closer to the part of the wall that the chain-link had been torn open by the bullies in the previous year. He climbed easily over it, his gloved hand supporting his weight as he sailed over the wall, landing on the frosted grass. He grinned over at Peter who was still rooted to the spot, but there was no emotion in his eyes and that just added to the leaden weight of dread.

"What'cha been doing my old friend? Enjoying the sights? Sticking your nose in to other people's businesses? Being the useless sack that Jimmy off-loads his problems on to? Or trying to get stuck into Chantelle?" Gary Smith said, nudging Peter painfully with elbow, the result being Peter nearly slipping clumsily on the ice again. Gary didn't bother to wait for a response; instead he grabbed Peter by the shoulder and pushed him against the stone archway.

"Listen to me Petey my friend, she's poison you know that? She gets people into all sorts of trouble, just look at Jimmy and how much shit he's been through…And now the Preps and that dumb Parker kid, she led him on too. Did you know that?"

Peter stared at Gary in complete disbelief, and also with a twinge of fear. This had been the first time he had seen him up close and he looked absolutely terrible…Terrible and crazy. His left eye was twitching uncontrollably and the grip that he had on Peter's shoulder get tightening painfully and loosening again almost like he had barely any control on what his body was actually doing.

"It won't be long 'til that bitch is using you Petey…Unless she already is? Oh she is I can tell just by the look in your stupid little eyes. What did she get out of you huh? Nothing about me this time, no no no…This is other knowledge right?" Gary let out a laugh that sounded more like a grimace to Peter even though Gary was now smirking at him, "She's got you into shit already you know, she's doing her job pretty well…I thought we were friends Petey but I guess you don't want that. I guess you want that scheming bitch and her punk-ass boyfriend. Do they call you a friend femme-boy? Do they get all gooey and preach their puppy dog eyes on you hm?"

Peter glared at Gary and during that period of his loosened grip he shrugged his shoulder away and slipped sideways so he was no longer pressed up against the arch.

_There is always an option_

"Leave me alone Gary!" Peter said with a voice that was as powerful as he could muster, it wavered slightly but his resolve was true. He had had enough, Gary wasn't going to push him around anymore and what he was doing wasn't going to work.

"They _are_ my friends!" He said loudly, that slight shake beginning to dissipate as he stared at the sociopath in front of him, aware that he was beginning to close the distance between them. "They talk to me like they care! And I know they do! I know they both do!"

Gary let out another one of those harsh laughs and shook his head before tilting it to one side, "Is that why you've been sat in the library waiting for your dearest Chantelle only for her not to turn up? Dear old Jimmy beats up the trust-fund babies and suddenly Chantelle couldn't give a shit about you anymore? Is that why you ran out of the library almost in tears…You're a fool Petey, you're naïve."

"NO!" Peter yelled back, his feet moving of their own accord as they attempted to get away from Gary who was gaining distance even quicker now. "It's not true! She's got stuff to do just like I have! She's busy that's all!" Peter continued as his voice started to crack once again as his own beliefs began to crumble right before his eyes.

Gary stopped and sneered back at Peter, his scar becoming more pronounced as it changed to a leer. "I told you femme-boy, they will just use you. She will just use you, she's done it to everyone she's met so far and you're not an exception. I've warned you so how about you put it to some good use and do something about it…"

With another withering look, Gary turned easily on his heel and passed through the archway almost seeming to disappear in the fog that had been thickening around them since the initial meeting. Peter remained quite still until he was sure Gary had completely gone, shivering in the biting cold. He wrapped his arms around himself before continuing that same journey to the boy's dormitory, the corners of his mouth drawn down, his mind settled on that same cold loneliness he had felt before.


	26. Home Truth

******_Author's Note; It's been a really long time since I updated this story and I apologise (a lot!) this chapter has actually took awhile to write. I think I started it like two months ago and then University life got hectic. It's shorter than usual, and I'm thinking of the next chapter as we speak! Of course it'll be unravelling Chantelle's absence a little further in detail and will perhaps bring back Peter and Gary. As usual I'd really, really appreciate reviews. I find it difficult to continue writing if people aren't reading anymore (motivation and such). Anyway, thank you if you do indeed read it._**

**Chapter 26 – Home Truth **

The bitingly cold weather continued through to February, and the snow continued to fall freely icing the roads and pavement and making the town of Bullworth seem more like a gigantic ice rink. There was rarely a day in which the Sun would break through the deep grey, snow-leaden clouds, giving a few more degrees of warmth that was not felt by any of the residents or students or by the thickened ice or heavy snow that had fallen just hours previously. Some would claim it to be a winter wonderland, whilst others in the majority would call it a nightmare. Cars would creep along at perhaps ten miles an hour, bikes would remain chained up or else stuck inside garages and dormitories, and people would refrain from going outside at all unless it was a necessity. Crossing roads or simply walking along pavements had become a chore, always afraid of that heart-stopping moment when the ice decided to take your feet directly out from underneath you and you'd fall painfully down on your knees or your ass. The cold weather had certainly overstayed its welcome.

Christy Martin was one of those majorities of people who no longer had the tolerance for the cold anymore. She had always had the preference for the Spring and Summer months where she could wear her school uniform without the added weight of coats, jackets, scarves, hats, gloves or with layers of tights and socks. She hated walking outside and almost skidding down the dormitory steps and possibly breaking an ankle, or walking across the street and nearly slipping back down on her ass in front of a slow-moving car, its driver leaning fully forward over the steering wheel to see through the mist and fog. Even more than that, she hated the snowball fights. Every single day without fail there would be one raging through-out the campus, it was like the students just couldn't get enough of it. To make matters even worse, the snow was no longer soft and powdery like it had been during December because after weeks of continually freezing over, it had become sharp, hard and almost jagged. She had heard rumours of people ending up with perforated ear-drums, bloody noses, and in some extreme cases frost-nip.

There had been only one time in which Christy had seen someone injured when she had been walking back from the Library in desperate search for her best friend. She had stopped momentarily to avoid slipping on a particularly long stretch of ice and had looked up in time to see a huge ball of snow come hurdling towards one of the younger students, Sheldon, and hit him square in the face. There had been blood, and a lot of it as well as loud shrieking and screaming, yelling and jeering. She had left in a hurry, not even checking to see if the poor kid was alright, there was no way she was going to get dragged into this mess, not with the snobbish Prefects stalking around. It was only afterwards that she discovered it was actually Davis who had thrown the gigantic snowball (which was really packed ice and even some stones) and that had put an abrupt end to their little relationship, at least for the meantime. Christy had no use for heartless bullies, especially ones that took pleasure in hurting the little kids, no matter how whiny or irritating they were.

That had only been a couple of days ago and Chantelle seemed to be extremely elusive. In fact she could only remember seeing her on a night-time once she got back from whatever errands she had been running. She would wake up in a morning and there would be no sign of her, there wasn't even an alarm to wake her up. Christy frowned at this thought and instantly looked towards Chantelle's empty bed. She had wanted to talk to her about Davis, and before that about Gary Smith but now she was extremely curious to know what her best friend was up to.

Standing up, she moved away from her desk in which she had been writing quite a long entry in to her diary, Christy glanced out of the dormitory window. They had a great view of the campus, being able to see all the way down to the boy's dormitory and the front of the school, but of course with the fog seeming to never disappear, the distance was cut dramatically.

She would just have to try and talk to her once she got back tonight, something she should have done last night…Or even the night before. They would converse for half an hour, maybe more if they were really stretching it but then Chantelle would be asleep, out like a light as the saying goes and Christy would realise that she was actually talking to herself. She had no intentions of following her friend about because she knew in time that Chantelle would let her in on what was going on…Unless it was personal. Christy herself never had the intentions of telling Chantelle about her dreams of burning the school down, or of more sinister things that she had indeed kept to herself and the confines of her diary which was currently laid open for anyone to read.

Leaning over, she grabbed the diary and pulled it towards her. Her eyes stared down at the tiny, neat scrawl of her handwriting before closing it quickly. If anyone was to read this, she would probably be driven to Happy Volts Asylum to get her sanity tested. Even though she didn't exactly know it, she and Gary Smith had many similarities that neither of them would ever admit to but they would happily land them in the Asylum, no questions asked.

Christy had just managed to slide the thin diary between the bed frame and her mattress when the bedroom door opened and her roommate came slowly inside. Christy straightened up immediately and turned to her best friend who walked across the carpeted floor and sat heavily on her bed. Now that she had more than a few seconds to observe her, Christy noticed that Chantelle was looking extremely tired. There were dark bags residing underneath her eyes and she looked paler than usual, even the cold hadn't seemed to flush at her cheeks. There was something else as well, residing underneath her exhaustion…Was it fear? Worry? Or a mix of the two perhaps…

There were a few seconds of silence whilst the two studied each other and then Chantelle smiled genuinely at her friend and leant back on the pillows.

"It's been one hell of a busy week," Chantelle started, drumming her fingers absently on the bed, "I feel like I've neglected you a bit actually, so what's up?"

Christy didn't immediately answer; in fact she had hardly registered what Chantelle had said. It was strange to see her sat in front of her actually sparing her more than just a mere glance. When the words finally structured themselves in her mind she was even more astonished to find that Chantelle knew from the get-go that something was wrong…But then again, friends always picked up on that stuff, just like Christy had picked up on the fact that something was seriously bothering Chantelle.

"More to the point Chantelle, what have you been up to?" Christy responded slowly, "You've barely spent more than a few minutes here over the past week; every time I tried to talk to you you'd claim you were really busy and leave again or sometimes you wouldn't even say anything at all. What have you been doing Chantelle?"

With a heavy sigh, Chantelle sat up a little straighter, the atmosphere no longer seemed informal and comfortable. Her friend wanted the truth and she knew that she wouldn't be able to fill her mind with little lies like she was capable of doing with the other students. This felt more like an interrogation then just a friendly catch-up and the serious, stern expression on Christy's face only accentuated this theory.

"I have been busy Christy, I've been trying to keep Jimmy out of trouble and since the Greasers have developed a bit of a vendetta against him it's all he seems to be doing lately. I think Ricky is the only one who has been showing a bit of hesitance about getting involved with all the crap they are laying on him…"

Christy lifted her head at the mention of Ricky's name and she felt and old but familiar sensation in the pit of her stomach and it was certainly something she hadn't expected. Her mind was temporarily taken away from her break-up with Davis, and for the first time since Chantelle had entered the room, her attention was firmly placed upon her friend.

"In fact, Ricky actually gave me a heads up with some sort of ambush they were trying to lure Jimmy into." Chantelle continued, noticing the sudden rapt attention Christy was now leading Chantelle to believe that Davis might have played a role in whatever was going on with Christy.

"And not only that, but Lola Lombardi has pushed herself into the picture and she seems to love causing as much trouble as humanly possible…And Jimmy being the fool that he is, is falling for it."

Shaking her head, Chantelle placed her head onto her hands and studied Christy once more to see what her facial expression could reveal about her thoughts. Unfortunately, it had remained quite blank through her explanations and even after she had finished, Christy continued to stare blankly into Chantelle's eyes but instead of pushing the situation, Chantelle waited patiently. Other matters, such as the issues with Gary Smith and Peter Kowalski could wait, or perhaps not be spoken about at all and so her fear and worry could be buried. Maybe the excuses she had given already would be enough to cover up the fact that she had spent very little time with Christy.

"So...The Greasers are attacking Jimmy, Lola is causing trouble like she always does but now that Jimmy is in their little limelight he's taking a liking to her and you're…You're what? Jealous?" Christy finally said, her face now showing confusion and bewilderment. "If he's taking an interest in another girl Chantelle, shouldn't you be happy for him? I mean you said yourself you didn't think you could ever feel the same way and now his attention will be focused on some other girl, whore or not, so what's the problem?"

Chantelle was quite taken aback with Christy's views on the matter, and was rendered speechless as her hands dropped away from her chin and were placed absently back on the bed. She had never really thought about it in that way, Chantelle simply believed she was being a protective friend and looking out for Jimmy.

"Christy I…It's not like that. You said it yourself, Lola is just…Well she's supposed to be Johnny Vincent's girlfriend and yet she's going round screwing with Jimmy! Is it any wonder why the Greasers want to take Jimmy out? He wins some stupid bike race and snogs Lola and all this shit starts up."

Shaking her head, Christy couldn't help the smirk that had started to form at the corners of her mouth which only seemed to infuriate Chantelle even further.

"Here's something you could do Chantelle, let Jimmy get on with his own life. Stop being there to clean up his mess, stop trying to get involved. It's obvious that whatever you're doing isn't having any effect on him! He's just going to do whatever he wants and you being his closest friend should know that by now." Christy ran a hand through her hair and did not feel any guilt or regret at the look of shock on Chantelle's face. "I don't know what you're trying to do for him Chantelle. If you're telling him to stay away from Lola then you're just going to seem like you're jealous. Give it a break, and for God sake give him a break. Let him make his own mistakes."

Once again, there was a brief moment of silence whilst Chantelle contemplated what advice Christy had just given her, whilst Christy looked on waiting for whatever reaction Chantelle was going to give her. Usually she wouldn't have been so blunt, even though her personality would say otherwise but her agitation and frustration towards her best friend had thrown any caution straight to the wind.

"You know what…You're right. You're completely right," Chantelle started as she shrugged her shoulders, "All I've been doing is nagging him, annoying him undoubtedly because he doesn't take anything I say on board. He just listens to whatever news or rumours I have to say and then goes off and finds the trouble anyway. All this week I've been fretting over him, trying to keep him out of the Greasers sight, trying to keep him away from Lola and for what?"

Christy and Chantelle stared at each other again and there was an understanding that passed between them before Chantelle slowly slipped off the edge of her bed and joined Christy on her bed instead.

"What happened with you and Davis, Christy?"

"He decided to throw a gigantic snowball at one of the younger students and nearly knocked him out cold. I tell you there was definitely more than snow or ice in that thing, it almost broke the kid's nose there was just blood everywhere." Christy shrugged and looked at Chantelle without much emotion again which once again shocked Chantelle somewhat. She had believed them to be pretty much 'in love' and obviously Christy's so-so reaction proved otherwise.

"I don't have time for bullies, y'know? There's so much of it going on around here, and I just didn't want to have a boyfriend who is keen on the whole bullying thing…Even though he's in that damned clique. If I hadn't been around to witness the entire thing me and him would probably be still together…"

Before Christy could finish the rest of her sentence however, there came a sharp knock at the door followed by several more impatient ones. Chantelle frowned and got up off the bed, her legs screaming in protest as she crossed the carpet and threw the door open.

She hadn't really known what to expect and when she saw Lola Lombardi in the doorway, her frown was replaced with temporary anger. However, there wasn't much time to think before she neck of her jacket had been snatched at and she was dragged out of her room. Christy let out a yell of protest that Chantelle barely even registered.

"Who the hell do you think you are Chantelle! Interfering in my business and trying to get Jimmy to stay away from me? You have no right…NO RIGHT!" Lola yelled, before using as much force as possible to thrust Chantelle into the opposite wall. The material snagged on Lola's false nails, withdrawing some of the power and making Lola yell in agony as one snapped cleanly off.

Using this to her advantage, Chantelle regained her composure and lunged at Lola just as Christy came stumbling out of the room, almost tripping on the scarf that had misplaced itself from Chantelle's bed. The red-head stood framed in the doorway as she watched the scene unfold.

Chantelle's left hand found its way firmly into the roots of Lola's hair, whilst her right moved to restrain Lola's right fist from finding refuge anywhere near Chantelle.

Other doors along the corridor began to open as Beatrice, Pinky and a few of the younger students poked their heads around the doors of their rooms to observe the fight. Lola let out a frustrated scream as she drew back her right fist again, only to hit the wall behind Chantelle as they struggled to get the upper-hand. Chantelle forced her left hand harshly backwards and Lola went along with it, screaming as her hair pulled at the roots. Untangling her fingers quickly, Chantelle closed her fingers into a fist and with as much force as she could muster, being backed up against the wall, she smashed her fist into any part of Lola that she could reach. It collided with a loud crack at the side of Lola's nose and pain immediately shot up through Chantelle's fist and wrist making her wince.

Lola meanwhile, sat down hard in the middle of the corridor, clenching her nose from which blood was slowly beginning to pour. There were tears pricking in her eyes, but she was still looking up at Chantelle with anger and hatred.

"I told him to stay away from you because you're fucking trouble Lola! You're messing around with him, messing with Johnny Vincent and God knows who else! He at least deserves someone who isn't a common whore!"

The onlookers continued to stare out of their rooms, some of the younger ones took a sharp intake of breath at the insult Chantelle had thrown out and Christy remained firmly in the doorway, looking quite impressed.

Getting to her feet, Lola wiped her bloodied nose absently on her sleeve and continued to glare at Chantelle. The snapped nail was the least of her worries, but to her that was the reason why she had just been bested by the somewhat average girl standing in front of her.

"This isn't over." Lola said coldly, completely ignoring the fact that blood was still seeping from her damaged nose. "You don't get to call me a whore, not with all the guys you're leading on. Just you fucking wait, you'll get what's coming to you."

With that, Lola stormed past Chantelle and descended the stairs quickly, her hands now back to her stinging, bleeding nose and leaving Chantelle to look astonished and bewildered that same worrisome look crossing her face once more.


	27. New Feuds

**_Author's Notes: Long chapter. I really miss this game, so I ordered it for the computer xD I can't seem to find it for Xbox anywhere. Anyway, reviews are appreciated (AND WANTED). Thank you._  
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**Chapter 27 – New Feuds**

"I told you Chantelle, you really shouldn't get yourself involved in things that don't concern you, because shit like this happens."

An hour or so had passed since the Lola incident and Christy and Chantelle were both laid up in their separate beds talking quietly. Chantelle didn't have much to say and it was Christy who had kept the majority of their conversations going, which was really just gently scolding her friend on hanging around too much with Jimmy Hopkins and becoming apparently as bad as him.

"I know Christy, I told you I'm gonna keep out of Jimmy's business and just…Just keep my head down and my nose clean, as the saying goes. But right now, I'm exhausted and need sleep…So can we talk in the morning? Maybe we can go find Davis and sort all this bullying crap out."

"Alright as long as you don't start up all that disappearing shit again…Night Chantelle,"

"Night." Chantelle responded quietly, before rolling over in her bed and staring unseeingly at the wall. Her mind was still buzzing and she wasn't in the slightest bit tired but it wasn't just Lola she was currently thinking about but of all the things that had happened in the past week.

_**Seven Days Ago**_

"C'mon Jimmy is this really necessary? They're clearly just trying to aggravate you, there's no need to prove anything, least of all to them."

Jimmy and Chantelle were stood together just outside the gates of Bullworth Academy and Jimmy was throwing a can of spray-paint up and down rhythmically in his right hand. He didn't seem to be paying much attention to Chantelle, his skateboard was at his feet and he was slowly moving it back and forth impatiently almost as though he was itching to just leave.

"It's not them I'm proving something to Chantelle, the Preps are already under the thumb…No wait, _my_ thumb." Jimmy replied with a smirk and a light chuckle. "It's those greased-up jerks down in the old Vale that need showing up."

"Oh so Derby Harrington tells you to spray some tags down in their hang-out and you just go out and do it even though those guys have done fuck all to you? In fact haven't you been helping Johnny out recently with that whore he calls a girlfriend?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Jimmy turned to face Chantelle with an irritated expression on his face. He didn't particularly like being told what to do, whether it was from the Preps or Chantelle and now with her proceeding to give him an earful all it was seemingly doing was making him want to spray the tags even more.

"Chantelle, it's only a matter of time before Johnny gives himself a reason to beat the crap out of me. It's the same with every other leader and clique member in this damn school. If this means I have to fight my way through the Greasers then so be it, at least Derby will get off my damn back."

With that, Jimmy balanced himself on his skateboard and pushed off onto the road without so much as a look back. Chantelle continued to stare after him feeling quite confused and even a little bit angry. She stood outside the gates for a few more minutes even after Jimmy had disappeared into the thickening fog before turning away and heading towards the Girl's Dormitory. She shoved her gloved hands inside the pockets of her coat and lowered her head. Even though she knew that Jimmy had the tendency to do whatever he felt like, she still found his complete dismissal of her advice to be quite rude and aggravating.

She reached the turn-off point but at the last second she continued onward, her new destination was the library. She realised she hadn't been in quite some time and in turn realised she hadn't seen Petey Kowalski in a while either. She wondered, or moreover, hoped that he would be residing in the library now so she could have someone to talk to. Christy was her best friend of course, but when it came to Jimmy she just didn't care so much and what she said could barely be taken as advice…But Petey was a good listener, and not only that but he gave brilliant advice and stories that she could relate to. Christy was more of a closed book; she didn't like giving out stories about past events or things that could put her in a bad light.

Walking steadily up the icy steps, she watched without much interest as Algernon tried to climb over the wall where the fence had been ripped apart before entering inside the library.

Her eyes were automatically drawn to the corner where she had expected to see a stack of books hiding Pete from view. There was a wave of disappointment when she saw it to be completely empty, only Beatrice was there slowly shuffling up and down the aisles tracing her index finger along the spines of the textbooks.

Sighing, Chantelle turned back again to leave the library when the door opened letting in a gust of wind and she rested her eyes on a worried looking Peter Kowalski. He looked towards her and almost stumbled over his undone laces, the few books he was holding went cascading to the floor which was covered in melting ice and snow. Chantelle bent down and picked them back up, continuing to look at Pete with confusion.

"Erm…Hi Chantelle," Pete said hesitantly, extending out his arms so he could take back the books. Chantelle gave them back and he muttered a quick thanks before manoeuvring carefully around her to avoid stumbling on any ice. Chantelle turned around with him to watch his progression, still looking extremely bewildered.

"Wait! Pete? What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost or something?"

Pete stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at her, he seemed to be fighting back the urge to say something and he was biting his bottom lip with anxiety.

"Look, Chantelle…I don't think it's wise us talking right now." He said quietly, his eyes shifting from her to the area around her and back. His voice seemed weak and almost scared and that was definitely something Chantelle didn't like.

"What? Why? What did I do? I know we haven't spoken in a while I've just been busy but..."

"No Chantelle just…It's not you…No not really but…" Once again, Petey glanced around the library and shifted the weight of the books slightly. "Look it's just important that we try and stay away from each other…I thought that since you were busy you'd stay away from here but…"

"Seriously, what's all this about!"

"Bye Chantelle," Pete said quickly, turning away and shuffling down the closest aisle just to be out of her eyesight. Beatrice, who had heard every word, was staring at her over a book she had open in her arms. Chantelle didn't even look at her; she just turned away and left the library in a hurry. She didn't even register the freezing cold as she walked quickly away; having no real destination in mind she allowed her feet to take her. They led her out of the school gates, just missing her best friend by mere seconds.

_**Five Days Ago**_

Even though Chantelle disapproved of Jimmy's sudden change in attitude and his complete dismissal of her opinions on attacking the Greasers, she found herself standing at the counter of Tobias' bike shop, waiting for a part that Jimmy was planning on adding to his bike in shop class. She drummed her fingers absently on the wooden counter whilst the Shopkeeper attempted to find the part, feeling glum and particularly unhappy.

The whole thing with Petey was still playing on her mind, and even though she really wanted to get to the root of the problem she didn't exactly want to see him around again. It had surprised her how much of an affect his sudden dismissal and rejection had had on her, especially since they weren't that close. Lapsing into her own thoughts, she hadn't even realised that Tobias had returned and was waiting for the money that Jimmy had given her to pay for the part. It was discounted of course, due to Jimmy's help against the Preps.

"Chantelle? You there? We're gonna need some payment for this? Top quality, as promised."

Chantelle blinked stupidly and apologised before stuffing her hands in her coat pocket and withdrawing the money. She handed it over in return for the bag, thanked the shopkeeper and then left quickly.

She was still completely in her own thoughts that she didn't see the person standing in front of her and she went colliding in to them, dropping the bag that she had been holding loosely. It clanged to the floor and she cursed under her breath before swooping down to collect it.

When she looked up, the wind seemed to be taken out of her and she took an instinctive step back. Gary Smith was stood directly in front of her with a sneer plastered across his face, only pronouncing the scar across his eye. She did not speak, just stood there and stared at him.

"I see Jimmy has left his girlfriend to do all the trivial chores whilst he's off beating up the Greasers." Gary said smugly, the sneer never leaving his lips. "Oh but why did little Jimmy Hopkins just turn on that Grease-ball leader Johnny? Johnny didn't do nothing." He continued, doing an extremely good impression of the Greasers. Chantelle simply stared at Gary's unexpected appearance.

"Looks like Hopkins has a knack for having people following him, what did I say Chantelle? Ah it is incredibly addictive, manipulating people, getting them to do things for you whilst you sit back and watch…Maybe Jimmy thinks he can actually control the school now. Looks like he isn't much different than me after all…"

"Jimmy is nothing like you." Chantelle said coolly, but Gary's words had started something up in her mind and her expression said otherwise.

"You're not so sure anymore are you? You chose the wrong side, and when Jimmy is _ruling_ the school, I'm going to show you why. In fact, you'll find out just a little sooner than that. Enjoy your peace whilst it lasts Chantelle…You're going to get what's coming to you."

Gary made his way passed her quickly, still wearing the same smug expression but Chantelle called out his name and followed him towards the alleyway.

"What did you say to Peter?" She said suddenly, trying to ignore all the stuff he had just said. "What did you _do _to him!"

Gary simply smirked and gave her a wink before walking away, leaving Chantelle feeling even worse than before.

_**Three**__** Days Ago**_

"You really should have seen their faces Chantelle! Beating them in their own dumb race with a bike that Tobias Mason gave me whilst they were sat on their custom made shit! Three of their best Greasers and they still couldn't win a straight-forward race that they even had help on!" Jimmy let out a loud gale of derisive laughter and then slumped back casually on the bench he was seated on, ignoring the cheeseburger and fries that were laid out in front of him.

Chantelle was sat at the table on the opposing bench and was watching him with a hesitant smile on her face. She had not said anything about the choices he was making and how much trouble they were winding him in. The graffiti prank had apparently gone just as well as the race, explaining that they had gathered round looking dumbfounded at the 'Grease-Balls' graffiti, or yelling in outrage at being told to take a bath. And of course Jimmy himself had to get a little cocky and had printed his name underneath the bridge. Assuming that he had kept his name out of the picture, Chantelle guessed that the Greaser's would have just blamed the Preps…But of course that wasn't Jimmy's style.

Picking at the fries that Jimmy had kindly bought her, she looked across at him and noticed how satisfied he still seemed about simply winning a bike race. He had no idea what sort of consequences might be in store for him now that he had beaten them at something they were so solely passionate about. Then again, Jimmy wasn't the type to think before he did something anyway.

"Johnny was so pissed! Not only did he lose out on a race that he stupidly thought he was gonna win, but he lost out on his damn girl too." Jimmy smirked and leaned forward to start on his meal, seeming to think that was a completely reasonable time to stop explaining things.

"Lola? Oh Jimmy please tell me you haven't got involved with _her_!" Chantelle exclaimed, once again ignoring the fact that she too had food right in front of her. She wasn't particularly hungry at any rate, her appetite seemed lost on her ever since she had arrived at Bullworth and had witnessed Edna's cooking skills.

"Well why not? Johnny thinks he's better than me and if using Lola means that I can get one up on him then so be it." Jimmy shrugged and took a large bite out of his cheeseburger whilst Chantelle looked on, trying to hide the disgust on her face.

The fact that he was starting to behave this way, creating trouble for absolutely no reason, was forcibly reminding her of someone she had seen just the previous day. Jimmy was indeed starting to remind her of Gary Smith.

"Look Jimmy I just don't think this is a particularly good idea. You're with a girl who's used to messing about with half the guys at Bullworth. Why couldn't you just…Leave it be. Johnny was actually starting to respect you for helping him out with that…Girlfriend of his."

Jimmy finished off his cheeseburger and shook his head, looking at Chantelle with something like disbelief. "You don't get it, whilst I was doing errands for the Greasers, the Preps were laughing at me behind my back, saying that I'm a poor excuse for a leader and then…"

"Why should you care!" Chantelle interjected angrily, completely dismissing the calm attitude she had been trying to keep with Jimmy over the past few days. "You already beat them several times before, and just because Derby Harrington said that you go and stir shit up with the Greasers? You had nothing to prove to them, you've done it already but congratulations on making another clique hate you Jimmy. To say you didn't want to go around and control the school, you've got a funny way of showing it. What are you planning on doing? Beating the crap out of all the leaders until they all follow you like lost puppies?"

Looking completely shocked, Jimmy found that he was temporarily lost for words. He hadn't seen Chantelle lose her temper like this in a while, especially towards him. He hadn't even managed to complete his sentence before she had jumped down his throat, leading him to believe that this had been building up. And thanks to Gary Smith, Chantelle had barely had time to think of very little else.

"If you'd let me finish what I was saying," Jimmy started defensively, still looking quite taken aback. "I was going to say that I went to defend Algie from the Greasers. They were planning on ambushing him for meeting up with Lola, and of course he's just some lonely nerd and with a girl like Lola giving him attention he isn't going to use that intelligence of his to realise she's just using him for her homework."

Chantelle remained silent as Jimmy started talking, and soft pink colour began to flush at her cheeks. She felt like a world class idiot but chose not to voice it. Why he hadn't just explained this in the first place was something Chantelle couldn't quite understand.

"And guess who was there stirring it all up again? I had to defend Cornelius from Norton and Vance whilst Gary and the rest of the Grease Balls ran down to wherever they thought Algie was. If it hadn't been for the fact that Algie had a bike and Chad decided to help us out, we'd probably still be in that alley getting our asses kicked. So no I don't have any intentions of ruling that dump Chantelle, I just choose to do what's right, especially where Gary Smith is involved."

Finishing off the remainder of his fries, he pushed the plate away from him and leaned back on the bench again. He was studying Chantelle, wanting to see what her reaction was and he was somewhat relieved to see her looking flushed.

"And finish your fries, they'll be getting cold," He quickly added, trying to change the intensity of their conversation. He didn't enjoy arguing with Chantelle, and falling out wasn't a real option, at least not to him.

Ignoring the fries, Chantelle continued to look at Jimmy before letting out a heavy sigh, "I'm sorry Jimmy…It's just the way you've been acting recently it's almost like you're going around _looking_ for trouble. I should've known there would've been a proper reason behind attacking the Greasers but…Why couldn't you have just said all that in the first place?"

"I guess I was just showing off," Jimmy replied simply, "You know it's just what us guys do. Show how manly we are and all that crap."

Chantelle smiled and shook her head, "Well in my opinion…That's just ridiculous, and you should probably stop doing it so I don't have to embarrass myself by verbally attacking you again." She added, before eating the remainder of her fries.

"Come on, let's get out of here and have some fun at the Carnival. I very much want to dunk that little dude in the water again,"

Nodding in approval, Chantelle and Jimmy both stood up and left the fast-food restaurant with Chantelle feeling quite relieved that they were still on speaking terms and feeling exceptionally glad that Jimmy hadn't turned into a clone of Gary Smith after all.

_**Two Days**__** Ago**_

Chantelle found herself sat in the library once more even though she had tried to avoid it because of how Petey had reacted to her just a few days previous. She had entered the building cautiously, glancing around to ensure he wasn't present. She assumed that he too was now avoiding the library just in case he bumped into her because he was nowhere to be seen. There was only a slightly bruised Cornelius sat at a table with Bucky Pasteur, discussing something in intense detail.

Like them, she ignored the fact that they were there and started to pace between the shelves, hoping that the book she was seeking hadn't been taken out or else stolen. She was attempting to help Jimmy out once again by researching some random crap about modifying bikes. Jimmy had attended every shop class in the year so far, but since the Greasers now had a vendetta against him he had so far avoided it. Now he wanted to try and show off and alter his bike with parts he had stolen from the auto-shop or bought from Tobias, thinking it would annoy the Greasers even more. Chantelle didn't quite understand his reasoning, but hadn't questioned it either. Males were indeed, strange beings.

She continued to move amongst the shelves, occasionally stopping to pull out a book that looked quite promising, only to place it back moments after when it was deemed useless. Finally, after almost ten minutes of searching, Chantelle, feeling quite fed up, pulled out another book and hit the jackpot.

There were easy, simple instructions followed by intricate diagrams that even Jimmy who was very easily distracted, could follow. She took the book and placed it under her arm, her task in the library was done and she was more than happy to be leaving it. It was once a safe haven for her, somewhere she could literally come and hide but ever since the incident with Petey it was just another place in the Bullworth campus that she couldn't tolerate.

Appearing from the aisles of bookshelves, she immediately noticed that the two nerds were no longer talking to one another and were instead staring in disbelief at the library entrance. Chantelle followed their gaze and saw Johnny Vincent stood in the doorway staring right back.

Chantelle felt the desirable need to hide the cover of the book from the lingering eyes of Johnny and so she pressed it against her chest instead so only the blank back was visible. She, like the Nerds, had no idea why he was even near the library. The Greasers were not the type to even try and attempt to be academic since all they cared about was Shop class.

Still remaining quite still with her eyes firmly fixed on Johnny, she watched as he approached her. He seemed oblivious to the fact that they were not alone even though they were staring just as intently as Chantelle from across the room.

"Ricky told me you'd be here. I want a word, away from those maggots." Johnny said quietly, his eyes were drawn to the book only momentarily before they moved back up to her face. "Let's go,"

Chantelle did not object and she followed him as he walked by her and started up the stairs where they would hopefully not be overhead. Once they were settled in the corner, Johnny leaned back over his chair with his arms tucked behind his head. Chantelle remained in silence, choosing to let him speak first even though she had a very good idea in to what it was going to be about.

"So I hear you're quite close with this Hopkins kid, Ricky seems to know a lot about you and him. Guess I should consider it lucky he chose to go out with that Martin girl." Johnny waited for a few seconds, perhaps waiting to see if he was going to get any response or reaction before continuing, "I want to know what this kid has planned, why he's getting involved with us Greasers. Why'd he turn on me?"

Frowning a little, Chantelle tried to think of a way to reply without offending or infuriating the clique leader any more than he already was. She didn't want to be on this guy's bad side, even though there was very little he could physically do to her, unless he was a complete brute of course.

"From what I've been told, he didn't exactly turn on you…I mean it seems to me that he was just doing what was right and in doing so he…Obviously beat up a few Greasers…" Chantelle said quietly, automatically drumming her fingers against the hard cover of the book she had placed on her lap. Johnny did not seem to believe this little story, so she continued before he could potentially interrupt. "What I mean to say is…You and your Greaser buddies were gonna beat up some poor Nerd cause Lola showed him some attention in return for him doing her homework."

At the mention of Lola, Johnny's expression contorted with anger and Chantelle felt the urge to just leave the library as quickly as she could. She'd had enough with guys with anger management issues and she wasn't intending on dealing with another one.

"He was just defending them because it was just…It was unfair or whatever. I don't think he was intending to betray you or turn on you. If you want someone to blame then blame…"

"Don't even say Lola! I know she is…No, they shouldn't have gone anywhere near her! They know me and her were together! And that new kid comes along and steals her away and she just lets him! Not even a second thought for Johnny Vincent. Nobody, absolutely nobody, makes a fool of Johnny Vincent!"

Chantelle, who was actually going to say Gary Smith, stared at the Greaser clique leader with something like disbelief as he went off on his own tangent. He was still muttering to himself, almost as though Chantelle wasn't there at all. Taking this to be a sign to leave, Chantelle slowly rose to her feet and started to turn away. Before she could even take a step she felt her arm being gripped by firm fingers and she turned round to face Johnny once again.

"You tell your boyfriend that he's gonna get what's coming to him! He thinks he can best me in bike races and win my girl? Well I'll show him, I'm gonna break his face! It's lucky he's ugly to start with." He scowled, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his grip was steadily growing tighter, causing Chantelle to wince in pain.

He glanced down at her and saw her expression, finally relinquishing his grip and wiping his hands on his leather jacket. "Yeah…You tell him that,"

Johnny began to walk off, and Chantelle just managed to hear Lola's name before he was out of earshot. She looked over the balcony and watched him strut out of the library, giving him a large head-start before following suite.

_**One Day Ago**_

"Jimmy will you just stay away from her! She's just more god damn trouble, I can't believe you actually went to the bloody tenements and got that crap for her! That place would've been swarming with Greasers! I don't understand how you didn't get your ass kicked."

"It's called being discrete Chantelle."

"Yeah? Well…I've told you before and I'm telling you again, stay away from that bloody whore. I don't care whether you think you're better than Johnny because you apparently have her on a leash or something…Johnny is pissed at you and he's made it clear that he's gonna get revenge. Just keep away from her and keep your eye out for Johnny and the rest of the Greasers alright?"

"I've got stuff to do," Jimmy said dismissively before mounting his bike and kicking back the pedal. "We'll talk later alright?"

Without even waiting for a reply, Jimmy pedalled off towards the old town again, leaving Chantelle feeling even more frustrated than before.


	28. The Star Quarterback

_**Author's Notes; **I actually have three chapters written up (this being the first) but I'm going to be reading through them, editing and altering...So there'll probably be a week between each publication. I've been taking into consideration what people have been saying so get ready for some more Johnny Vincent and Gary Smith.  
For now, I'm slowing the story down a little and showing another side of Chantelle's and Christy's school life. It can't all be about Jimmy Hopkins and his problems. Enjoy._

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**Chapter 28 – The Star Quarterback**

"So what do you feel like doing today?"

Christy's voice broke the strange and awkward silence that had fallen over the two in the dorm room whilst they were both getting dressed. Chantelle finished buttoning up her shirt and shrugged her shoulders in response. They hadn't been awake all that long and it was already midday; sleeping in had been something that Chantelle hadn't done in quite some time.

"I thought that maybe we could…I don't know…Go eat somewhere? We could watch the guys play football? Or there's a new film showing at the theatre at the Vale?" Christy piped up, fixing her hair and smiling expectantly at her friend. She didn't want to bring up anything related to Jimmy, Lola or the Greasers, and if they were in the Vale or down in the bleachers they wouldn't have to see them at all.

"Or we could do all three?" Chantelle answered, returning the smile although it seemed a little half-hearted. Truthfully, she still felt incredibly bad for just abandoning Christy for days at a time and the fact that she had ended her relationship with Davis and wasn't there to lend her any support or give her any advice made her feel just that much worse. In fact, she was hoping that the two of them might actually bump into one another so she could resolve the whole issue…Not that she was pretending to be Cupid or anything.

"Oh that sounds fun! We could totally make a day of it! The guys are playing football against some school in like an hour and then we could go and get a bite to eat and then go watch the film?"

Chantelle nodded her head, "But don't you have to go and do your cheerleading thing? I mean…That's what you go to practise for? To wave and dance and support the boys on the field?"

Christy froze in place and then sighed heavily, "Damn I forgot about that. Hey, why don't you come and do it with me? I mean, Angie has gone home because something bad happened in her family so there's going to be a spare spot and you'll pretty much fit into one of my spare uniforms."

Looking at Christy in disbelief, Chantelle shook her head quickly, "Hell no! I'm not flouncing about in one of those skimpy uniforms in sub-zero temperatures!"

"You'll be fine once we start jumping and running around a little bit…And we get to wear our winter coats when we're just sat down! We get the best seats in the house…Oh please Chantelle!" Christy pleaded, moving over towards Chantelle and gripping her hand in hers. "Please! It'll be far more tolerable with you hanging about there when Mandy is being her usual snobbish self and Pinky…The stuck up little bitch…Look if you're not there I could probably end up getting kicked out 'cause I attempted to kill one of them or something."

Still looking doubtful, Christy pulled out the only other card she had, "C'mon! You neglected me for like a week or something, the least you could do is be a cheerleader for a couple of hours…It'll definitely make up for it?"

"Fine…Fine! I'll do it, just…Let's get this over and done with already. I can't believe you just guilt-tripped me into doing this!"

Christy let out a cheer before moving quickly towards her wardrobe and throwing two Cheerleading outfits onto the bed. Chantelle wrinkled her nose back in disgust, but when Christy turned around expectantly, she fixed a smile on her face and took the uniform that Christy offered her.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were on their way to the football field with Chantelle looking just as disgruntled as before, but now with the added sub-zero temperatures and skimpy clothing. She had her hands thrust into her coat, keeping her head lowered, whilst Christy was bounding along at the side of her like an excited child going to a fun fair. Chantelle had no idea why she was so cheerful about cheerleading.

When they passed the car park, Chantelle looked up expectantly in hopes that Davis White would be prowling around, maybe with a snowball in hand or attacking the old school bus with anything he could get his hands on. However, the car park was completely devoid of any students and this only resulted in Chantelle feeling more displeased and sullen. Christy was still happily chatting away, not even noticing Chantelle's expression.

Pinky and Mandy were already on the field waving their pom-poms around whilst the Jocks jogged around the pitch. The other team were huddled together near the bleachers wearing scarlet, their names and numbers printed on the back. Chantelle barely paid any attention to her surroundings and just followed Christy towards the other two Cheerleaders who were at the other set of bleachers where a few other Bullworth students were sat.

"What is _she_ doing here!" Mandy said with a look of utter disgust on her face when Chantelle and Christy were within earshot. Pinky remained silent as did Chantelle; they both looked at each other and then averted their gaze. They had not really seen one another since Chantelle had smacked the Aquaberry Queen and this had to be one of the most awkward moments since she had bumped into Parker.

"She's filling in for Angie; if that's a problem then you can bring it up with Burton. I'm sure he'll just be _horrified_ at the thought of a new Cheerleader on the pitch." Christy responded coldly, glaring at Mandy with the same dislike that Chantelle had given Lola the previous night. Mandy opened her mouth to possibly insult or come up with some smart retort, but the whistle rang out and the teams started to get into their positions.

Taking Chantelle by the wrist, Christy pulled her to bench to pick up their pom-poms and take of their coats whilst Mandy and Pinky stood side by side, cheering the Bullworth Bullhorns on.

"This is ridiculous," Chantelle said under her breath as she straightened up, "Why did I even agree to this?"

"Because you owed me…It'll be fine, it's just for a bit and ignore them two. They'll have me to answer to if they start, we can't let you have all the fun now can we…"

Chantelle looked across at Christy with confusion but her friend simply shrugged, winked and walked towards the side-line to stand beside Mandy. Chantelle remained on the end, still without much enthusiasm.

After the first ten minutes or so, Chantelle chose to sit down on the bench after having enough of Mandy screaming Ted repeatedly, and nearly receiving a mouthful of pom-pom from Christy when she got a little overexcited when the Bullworth Bullhorns scored a field goal. Christy dragged her back up a few more times, where Chantelle jumped up and down a couple of times and sat down again. Eventually the both of them gave up on the other. Almost as though she was covering for Chantelle, Christy became even more enthusiastic and was yelling herself…Although Chantelle guessed this might've been to try and drown out Mandy's constant Ted-calling.

Being in her own world, it took her almost a whole minute to realise someone had been calling her name. She blinked stupidly, and turned her head towards the bleachers. A student had moved his way down the benches and was now sat directly behind her, his scarf was concealing most of his face but Chantelle knew who it was regardless.

"Ivan?" Chantelle said with a small smile, getting to her feet and joining him on the bleacher bench, "I didn't think you liked football?"

Ivan shrugged and proceeded to pull down his scarf so his voice wasn't as muffled, "I don't really but there's nothing else to do. I haven't seen you around for a while…Or in classes for that matter."

"I've been really busy…And yeah I guess priorities started to change a bit, and not for the good. I should probably start going to them again instead of wasting my time with menial chores and…" Chantelle stopped talking, realising she was saying a little more than what was necessary.

"That's fair enough, I think everyone in this school decide they have better things to do than actually stay on campus." He did not sound accusatory and he followed the sentence with a warm smile, which Chantelle couldn't help but return. "If I'm being completely honest, you haven't really missed a thing in class, well aside from Hattrick's Math class. It's surprising that even he isn't too concerned with the lack of students turning up now. I think they just give in."

"They only care about their pay-cheques." Chantelle said quietly, turning her head so she could continue to follow the match. The Bullworth Bullhorns were still in the lead, and Damon West was now thundering down the pitch, proceeding to flatten another player.

"Precisely. I don't think Galloway has turned up sober to any of his English classes so far, and Ms. Phillips just doesn't seem to have a clue. I saw one of her paintings last week…" He shook his head to show his distaste.

"Well what do you expect when you come here? World class teachers who actually care about a student's education? It isn't Harvard…Or whatever…" She said laughing, whilst Ivan gradually joined in.

They remained in silence for a while, watching the football match without much interest.

"You know, me and Ted Thompson used to be friends. It was when we first came to the school before he became the star quarterback…Or in other words, before he became popular. Then he suddenly didn't have time for me, because I was just some average kid to him." Ivan stared out on to the pitch, his eyes focusing on the quarterback as he spoke. "Absolutely nobody believes me, but hey, it happened."

Chantelle didn't quite know what to say, or whether or not to believe him. She had never met Ted, and the only influence she had when it concerned him was when he was running for school president against Earnest. From that, she believed he was very up himself, that he was a womaniser (after seeing the banners of him with Christy _and _Mandy) and that he was definitely not academic. But then again, everybody had to start somewhere when starting a new school, so maybe Ivan's insinuations weren't completely bullshit.

"He actually used to be pretty smart; he turned up for class and did all his homework and he even got a long with a few of the less nerdy nerds…If that makes sense. But then he got asked by one of these big Jocks to give football a go and stop hanging around with us 'losers'. So he did and…He ended up being pretty damn talented. Now he's never seen without Damon or Mandy…Or both of them."

"Damon is a brute." Chantelle said quietly, watching the number eight linebacker sprint down the field once more for the second quarter. He shoved one of the scarlet-clad players to the ground to receive the ball before Chantelle turned away again. "I'd hate to get on the wrong side of him…"

"Luckily for me, being some average kid certainly has its advantages. I mean, Damon wouldn't look twice at me, I'm not even in a clique! All the other students have a hard time trying to talk their way out of an ass-kicking if they wrong him or insult him or something…" Ivan glanced down at his watch and let out a heavy sigh, "I'm going to have to go Chantelle I have to meet my parents for an unfortunate meal. It's been great talking to you again…If you turn up for classes I'm sure we'll talk again?"

"Of course," Chantelle said, smiling as he got to his feet and took his leave but now she was left with nothing but the match to distract her from the freezing cold and her own thoughts and there was still around an hour left.

Slumping back against the bench, Chantelle's eyes began to slip out of focus as she drifted back into her own thoughts. She now believed that Gary Smith had either threatened or manipulated Peter Kowalski in to avoiding Chantelle and to no longer be her friend but not only that, he had also manipulated the Greasers and their leader Johnny Vincent and now Jimmy had to deal with them too. She had no idea how or why people were still intently listening to the things he had to say, especially considering how everyone believed him to be some kind of psychotic sociopath. But then again, Gary certainly had a way with words.

Then there was Jimmy who had once again dismissed everything she had to say, which was becoming something of a common thing, and it was certainly something Chantelle wasn't going to grow accustomed to. She had promised Christy that she would stay out of his business, and that was definitely going to be something she was going to do. The tasks and chores he was sending her to do were just making her feel like some sort of slave or lap-dog and she refused to do anything for him if her opinion no longer mattered.

The next thing she knew, she was being shaken by Christy and she straightened up quickly and glanced around. The match was over and the players were filing off the field. By the looks of things, Bullworth Bullhorns had won the game. Ted was unlatching his helmet, strutting his way over to Mandy who was waiting for him on the side-line with a broad smile on her face. Pinky was nowhere to be seen.

"Did you fall asleep again? I was shouting you for like a whole minute…I don't know how you do it…"

"No I just…I was just thinking that's all. Must've been completely out of it," Chantelle responded before getting to her feet and dropping down carefully on to the frozen grass. They were just about to ascend the steps towards the gym when a voice called out Christy's name and she turned around making Chantelle sigh with frustration.

"Now then Christy, who's that friend of yours you've been hiding? I've never seen her at cheerleading practise before…" The quarterback said, dismissing Mandy momentarily to go and talk to the other cheerleaders. The scandalous look on Mandy's face somewhat cheered Chantelle up and distracted her just enough for her to not realise Ted was actually talking about her.

Christy gave Ted a lingering smile before grabbing Chantelle by the arm and pulling her forcibly to her side. "This is Chantelle Matthews, she's technically new. She hasn't really been a fan of the whole cheerleading thing but I managed to persuade her to give it a go. I think she might even be planning on joining us."

"What? Christy I'm not gonna…"

Before Chantelle could even attempt to finish the sentence, Christy decided to elbow her painfully in the ribs and she cursed under her breath instead.

Ted took a few more steps towards them, his helmet tucked underneath his arm and a brilliant smile playing across his lips. Mandy was still staring sullenly at the back of Ted's head, her arms folded and her lips pursed.

"Well I'll have to admit it would be a welcoming addition to the cheerleading squad. I hope to see you out on the field more often, new girl." Ted gave her a bracing wink before striding passed her and Christy and re-joining the rest of the team in celebration.

Chantelle looked at Christy with confusion, but her friend just grabbed her and dragged her up the steps before Mandy could say or do anything.

"What the hell was that about?" Chantelle said once they had passed the gym and were finally out of Jock territory.

"Ted is like…A huge womaniser and Mandy is such a jealous bitch! Didn't you see her face! It was classic!" Christy's voice was at least an octave higher than usual as they walked back to the Girl's dormitory, "Seriously, when we were taking pictures together for the presidential election thing, she was all over him. She literally couldn't keep her hands off him and he was just sat there not giving a damn. If he even looked at me, she'd stand in front of him and try to stick her tongue down his throat or something…But…He's hot right,"

Seeing Christy act like a little school-girl with her first crush was just as confusing as Ted seemingly trying to hit on her or the fact that she had been so excited about jumping around in a short skirt and pom-poms.

"Well…Yeah I guess he is, but you were trying to make her jealous by saying all that? I mean…There is absolutely no way I'm joining the cheerleading squad."

"Of course it is! You _have_ to join the damn squad Chantelle! Come on! You barely have to do anything except show up and jump around for five minutes or something…You just have to let Ted see you, give you some attention and hey presto…Jealous Mandy!" Christy said with glee, "Oh it's just so perfect!"

During Christy's excitement, she didn't realise that they were currently walking passed the car park once again, and that due to some lucky streak, Davis White was leaning against the wall with Trent Northwick and Ethan Robinson. All three of them had heard Christy's proclamations from quite far off and Davis quickly stumped out his cigarette and was staring hopefully at Christy.

"Hey Christy…Christy…For crying out loud will you shut up for a second!"

Christy glared at Chantelle before realising she wasn't actually looking at her, and she followed her gaze almost reluctantly. The three guys and the two girls started at each other for a few seconds before Chantelle gave them a smile.

"Hey, Davis could we have a word?"

Davis looked from Trent to Ethan, and when they did not protest, he walked away from them and joined Christy whose mood had shifted somewhat dramatically. Trent let out a loud echoing wolf-whistle whilst Ethan jeered with laughter, before they turned away and headed towards the school bus.

"So I think you two need to resolve all this…Relationship stuff, don't you?" Chantelle started, still smiling pleasantly enough even though Christy was giving her daggers. Her arms were folded across her chest in a defensive manner and she was choosing to look anywhere but at Davis who consequently could look at nothing but Christy.

"Christy come on it was just a stupid dare that Trent and the other guys gave me. You know how it gets, peer pressure and all that." Davis said quietly, trying to act as though Chantelle wasn't there at all and that they were simply having a heart to heart.

"Well then maybe you should learn to say no! It wasn't just snow you pelted at that kid; you nearly knocked him out cold."

"I'm in this crew for a reason Christy, you knew this way before we got together. We shouldn't just split up 'cause of some stupid kid, or some stupid dare."

Chantelle had slowly strolled away and was now leaning against the wall that the bullies had been just moments before.

"Well go and pick on people your own size, or better yet people who actually _deserve_ it!"

"That Sheldon kid did deserve it! He blamed us for some shit that the Greasers had planned for Jimmy! We were trying to stop them and yet the Prefects chose to bust us and _only_ us! That little twerp got what was coming to him…But that doesn't matter, and you do. Can't we just ignore this stupid thing and move on or something?"

Christy observed Davis, looking at him with that angered, almost disappointed look on her face. But as the seconds passed, it slowly softened and she eventually moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Chantelle chose this opportune moment to look away, and minutes later Christy was dragging her towards the girl's dormitory once again with an exceptional smile on her face.


	29. Jealousy

_**Author's Notes; **__Low and behold, it's a Johnny Vincent chapter! Plus Gary Smith does make his devious re-appearance. Thanks for all the story traffic! I'm amazed at how many people are reading this story! Chapter 31 has been written...But I'm currently stumped on chapter 32. Anything you want to see in the story? Feel free to let me know._

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**Chapter 29 – Jealousy**

"What're you doing 'ere Smith? Did the Asylum finally let you out?"

Johnny Vincent was casually leaning against the dirty bricks of the Greasers club house having a cigarette and he was accompanied as usual, by Hal and Norton. Gary Smith had appeared from out of the alleyway and had approached them apprehensively, staring at one Greaser to the other with a cautious, unblinking expression. He did not retaliate to the snide comment Vincent threw at him, he simply shrugged it off and proceeded to explain his reasoning as to why he had stepped even a foot in to New Coventry.

"Trust me; I don't want to be in _this _place. But I have an idea that revolves around that loser, Jimmy Hopkins…I understand he's been giving you and your…Friends…Some trouble."

There was a brief moment of silence as the Greasers regarded his statement, and Johnny Vincent continued to look Gary Smith up and down with distaste.

"And why should I follow what some crazy sociopath has to say? I can deal with Jimmy myself…"

"Because it also involves that promiscuous _girlfriend_of yourstoo…Call it revenge. That and you can get one up on Jimmy; knock him down a peg or two off that high horse he seems to be riding."

Regarding this, Johnny felt only a pang of anger at the fact that he had insulted Lola but a part of him realised it was true. She had been all over Jimmy ever since he had won the race around New Coventry and all he wanted to do was humiliate and beat the kid down.

"So what's this idea?" Vincent said, his eyes narrowing whilst his two cronies looked at him in confusion. Johnny wasn't one to follow orders from someone else; whether they had covered the entire thing by saying it was an 'idea' of his or not. However, things had become a little weird ever since Johnny had found out Lola was cheating on him with about five other students…

Gary looked as though he had just won the lottery, his expression changed almost immediately and he approached Johnny Vincent, still glancing cautiously at his two bodyguards.

"Well you see, Jimmy has a very close friend whom you've already met."

"That girl, Chantelle? The one who spends all that time hiding in the library?"

"The very same one…See Jimmy _used_ to have feelings for the girl, and if I'm not mistaken, he still does. He's messing about with your girl to piss you off, but when she's strutting around with other guys he gets just as jealous as you."

"Where you goin' with this Gary?" Johnny said impatiently, taking a final drag of his cigarette and flicking it to the ground. He crunched it underneath the heel of his boot and then took a few intimidating steps towards Gary.

"You get Chantelle down to the underpass when Lola and Hopkins grace New Coventry with their presence, get her down here and pretend you're together. Kiss her, hold her, do whatever you want to prove she's yours…And just watch the sparks fly."

Johnny smirked and nodded his head in approval, "You know, that idea doesn't sound half bad. Norton, Hal, get the gang together and keep an eye out for that slut and that weasel. I want to know if they're in New Coventry right away…And bring me Ricky. I need that girl's cell number."

Noticing that his business was done, Gary slipped away whilst Johnny was busy ordering his bodyguards around.

"What are ya waiting for! Get moving!" Johnny added angrily.

Hal and Norton glanced across at each other once more before doing as they were told. When Johnny turned around to thank Gary for his brilliant idea, he was somewhat stunned to notice he already disappeared.

* * *

"Is this Chantelle?"

Chantelle raised an eyebrow and pulled the cellphone away from her ear to briefly check the number again. It was one she couldn't recognise, and neither could her phone so she pressed it to her ear again.

"Yeah, why who's this?"

"It's me, Johnny Vincent."

Looking quite astonished, Chantelle mentally kicked herself for not recognising the distinguishable Greaser accent sooner, but she probably would've just assumed it to be Ricky…Not the leader of the Greasers clique.

"How did you even get my number?" Chantelle said in complete surprise, now glancing out of the window almost as though she was expecting him to be stood there waving at her or something ludicrous like that.

"Ricky gave me it. I told you, that guy has his uses. I need you to do me a favour."

"And what would that be?"

"I want you to come down to the underpass at New Coventry, there's a little meeting going on and I want you to be there to see it all go down." Johnny Vincent responded, and it sounded very much like he was wearing a smirk or a smug grin on his face.

"And if I don't?" Chantelle responded quickly, pushing the curtain back across the window and reseating herself on the edge of her bed.

"Well that would be your loss wouldn't it…Just don't go expecting your boyfriend Jimmy to be able to walk for a while."

There was a brief moment of laughter before the call was cut off and Chantelle was listening to a repetitive beep instead. With a sigh she placed the cell inside the pocket of her jeans and quickly got her winter gear on before leaving the confines of her dorm room. It was a good job Christy was being distracted by Davis again or she probably would have gotten an earful for going to Jimmy's aid once more.

She exited the Girl's Dormitory and set of at a quick walk, it would be foolish to start running when it was so icy still, the one thing she didn't want to happen was to end up breaking something from falling over on the ice…Or seeing Jimmy get beaten to a pulp of course.

The thought of getting a bike crossed her mind briefly as she left the campus and moved quickly along the snowy pavements, passing a returning Angie who looked dismal and tired. Chantelle made very quick work of the journey to the underpass, where her eyes were immediately drawn to the graffiti Jimmy had sprayed about a week ago. Then they surveyed the area, only to register the fact that she was quite alone.

"Well isn't this just great," Chantelle muttered to herself, turning full circle and still seeing no signs of Johnny or Jimmy. Believing this was just a set-up and somewhat expecting someone like Lola to ambush her, she turned away and began walking in the same direction she just arrived from.

That was until a voice called out her name.

Chantelle turned around once again and saw Jimmy walking under the underpass with none other than…Lola Lombardi. The immediate disgust was plastered across her face, and pretty much mirrored in Lola's too. There was still some bruising around Lola's nose, and this at least brought Chantelle a small bit of satisfaction.

"What are you doing down here?" Jimmy asked, looking slightly anxious that the two girls were already eyeing each other up menacingly.

Chantelle was just about to reply when someone decided to do it for her. Johnny Vincent came into the middle of the road, flanked by Norton and Hal. He was wearing the smug grin that Chantelle had predicted. Jimmy and Lola both turned round to stare at the sudden arrival of the Greasers.

"She's here with me Hopkins, aren't you Chantelle?"

Looking completely flabbergasted, Chantelle chose not to answer and instead remained rooted to the spot whilst Lola looked back over her shoulder, giving her a vicious glare. Johnny gestured her to come towards him, and she found herself doing just that. She did not look at Jimmy as she passed, even though she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head, but continued to eye Johnny with confusion.

When she was within reaching distance, Johnny snaked his arm around her shoulders and turned her round so they were now both facing Lola and Jimmy. He forcefully pushed her closer to him and then lowered his arm so he was holding her by the waist instead. Chantelle's cheeks flushed scarlet as she tried to tug away, but without much success…Or much enthusiasm.

The response was immediate.

Jimmy started forward, but at the same time so did Norton and Hal making him reconsider. Lola's face contorted with rage as she tried to bite down on the retorts and insults she was intent on hurling not just at Chantelle, but Johnny Vincent too. It would do no good to lose her temper in front of the scheming bitch that had hit her just days previous…Not when getting revenge was even better.

Placing her hand on Jimmy's shoulder, Lola pulled him back away from the two burly Greasers and instead she planted a kiss on his lips (having to lean down a little to do so), and then eyed Johnny and Chantelle as secretly as she could. She saw the expression change on the lead Greaser's face ever so slightly, giving her some pleasure, and perhaps giving the entire game away. This was probably just an attention-seeking plot to try and make her jealous. Well Lola Lombardi never got jealous! She always got what she wanted in the end, no matter what the cost…

When she pulled away, she flipped her hair back and interlocked her fingers between Jimmy's own, believing that the battle had been won. Chantelle was staring at Jimmy in revulsion whilst he was trying to look everywhere but at the girl in front of him.

But Johnny still had another trick up his sleeve, and his smug grin came rebounding back. He relinquished the arm from around Chantelle's waist and instead, used it to push her against the brick wall of the tunnel, right against the purple graffiti of 'Jimmy wuz here'.

Chantelle's eyes widened with the Greasers sudden aggressiveness and she tried to slip sideways to avoid being pinned up against the wall, but she was too slow and there was a sharp intake of breath, probably from Lola as they all appeared to wait to see what was going to happen. The two Greasers even looked a little taken aback, expecting maybe for Johnny to just completely lose it and possibly strike a girl.

That wasn't what Johnny Vincent had in mind. Instead he placed one hand above Chantelle's head, using it as support as he stared down at her. The other was pressed lightly against her shoulder, giving enough pressure to ensure she wasn't going to just high-tail it and run. The next second he had leaned towards her and was pressing his lips against hers. It wasn't just an average peck either; Johnny was being extremely forceful and rather _passionate._ Chantelle felt his tongue trace her lower lip and she felt her legs almost seeming to tremble in response.

Lola let out a shriek of anger as she too started forward, but before the Greasers could restrain her away from their leader, Jimmy had her wrist in a tight grip and he was pulling her back. Lola tried to tug her wrist out of his grasp, but he continued to hold on, expecting her to turn on him at any second.

Johnny looked over his shoulder, still leaning over Chantelle who had turned a pleasant shade of pink (and who had been quite disappointed when the kiss had ended), and sneered at Jimmy who was glaring back with supressed anger. Jimmy had never expected the clique leader to have gone that far, not when he claimed he was just _so in love_ with his dear Lola whilst Johnny hadn't expected Chantelle to have responded to his call either, but here she was…And was it that she actually enjoyed all of that?

Her dream-like expression was revealing enough.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Jimmy called out, his voice loud enough to drown out Lola's continuing string of insults. "I thought you were on my side Chantelle! I thought you were trying to help me! Not running about with this jerk!"

At this, Lola quieted down and stopped struggling against Jimmy's slackened grip on her wrist. Everything had gone silent and Norton and Hal were looking from one couple to the next, almost as though they were following some short-distant tennis match. Chantelle tried to move away from Johnny but his hand was still pressed against her shoulder, so instead she cleared her throat to answer but Lola talked right over her.

"I already told you why," She said coldly, glaring from Johnny to Chantelle with pure hatred. "Because she's an evil, vindictive little bitch, a compulsive liar, and you know what else? She's a damn whore! Going around trying it on with every person she can find…First there was you Jimmy, then Parker…But she got pretty bored of him didn't you Chantelle? So then you moved on to your little study dates with that weird kid, Kowalski before he ditched you. But it doesn't stop there does it! You just can't let things lay, I heard you trying it on with Ted Thompson too? I mean, I hate Mandy…But you! You're even worse than that snob."

Chantelle's face dropped and she stared at Lola in disbelief. She had tried so far to not let anything she said get to her, but that just seemed a step too far. And the fact that Jimmy hadn't even tried to defend her made it even worse.

"And yet you running around trying it on with every loser student at school makes you some sort of Saint?" Johnny said, finally letting Chantelle go and turning fully round to glare at Lola. He stood in front of Chantelle, almost as though he was protecting her from view. He was actually defending Chantelle, a girl he had only just met a few days ago in the library, a girl who had started off as a simple messenger.

"Everybody's been laughing at me! All of you at me!" Johnny exclaimed, jabbing his thumb at himself and shaking his head to further emphasise the point. "Everybody's had her, that…That slut!" He continued, his voice growing with anger. Lola's expression changed within an instant of Johnny calling her such a name, especially considering she was within earshot.

"What did that Gord kid have that I ain't got Lola? Huh? You all think it's funny don'ya?" His rant continued, oblivious to the reactions around him. Chantelle had now moved to the side and was trying to get as far away from the scene as possible, but all that was going to do was to put her into New Coventry, and she didn't particularly want to be in that part of town.

"You all just think I'm some big joke! Well not anymore…No way. I'm the king around here and I'm gonna teach you a lesson…"

Lola took several steps back as Johnny approached her and Jimmy, Norton and Hal were looking at one another, feeling quite uneasy, unsure about whether to back him up or hold him off. It wasn't Lola he had his eyes set on however, it was Jimmy.

He knew from the very start that he was outnumbered, but his desire for wanting answers from Chantelle had left him within this bizarre confrontation, and now Johnny had had enough waiting around.

Without a second thought, he left Lola stood in the middle of the underpass and ran towards the run-down motel. Chantelle stood transfixed watching as Johnny too picked up speed, but his reactions were a little slower than he intended. Jimmy was seated on his bike and pedalling like crazy before Johnny could get anywhere near him, and the next minute he had disappeared from view.

Lola took this distraction as a sign to leave, and she quickly pushed passed Norton and Hal who still looked doubtful on what they were supposed to do. She gave Chantelle another poisonous stare and quickly changed direction, heading towards her instead.

"You've had it bitch…" She started, but Norton shoved her back.

"Go and be a slut somewhere else you tramp."

"Yeah…We always told Johnny you were no good for 'im!" Hal added, backing Norton up.

Chantelle looked at the two with gratitude, which seemed to go unnoticed by the both of them. Lola huffed loudly and stormed off, stamping her feet on the frosted snow in exaggeration.

By the time Johnny Vincent returned from his rant with a Jimmy who had long since fled, Lola had also disappeared and the two Greasers were having a quiet discussion together in the middle of the road. Chantelle herself had started off in the direction of the Motel, but once again she was stopped by Johnny's arm.

"I just want to say…Well I mean…Thanks." He said bluntly, scratching the back of his head before immediately flattening it down again. "I didn't think you were gonna show up,"

Johnny shrugged his shoulders, making it clear that he was certainly not used to this sort of behaviour. He was still flushed from his angry outburst, and the expression on his face was one of a person still fighting to keep his temper under-wraps.

"I didn't expect something like that to happen." Chantelle responded flatly, still thinking back to the kiss, to the way his fingers dug into her shoulder, the way his tongue traced her lip and her legs seem to tremble…

"It's just Lola she makes me crazy!" Johnny said, his voice regaining some of its anger from before. "I'm going crazy over some broad…" He shook his head and then leaned against the wall of the underpass next to Chantelle. "She's just a slut and here I am, standing here an' giving a damn about her."

Chantelle looked away and remained silent. How was she supposed to reply to that? She didn't want to offend him, she saw how easily angered he was and how quick to get aggressive he was too. Telling him to ignore Lola and move on probably wasn't the best way to cheer him up. In fact, it seemed impossible to cheer this guy up.

"I'm sure she'll realise her mistake soon enough…Unless she's as stupid as she looks…"

Johnny, who had been pacing, stopped and turned round to look at her. He didn't appear angry, and that gave Chantelle a little bit of comfort at least.

"Ya think?"

"Maybe…That's all I'm saying. I'm useless in these sorts of situations and with girls like Lola…" She shrugged. "It's hard to predict what they're gonna do…"

"Yeah, well I thought me and her…I thought we were good together. I thought she felt the same way…But then that Jimmy kid comes along and…"

"It's not all Jimmy's fault."

Johnny rounded on her and Chantelle felt herself almost recoiling away from him. He seemed to be as unpredictable as Gary, but his aggression levels were far higher which only made him more intimidating.

"He was all over her! Winning that damn race for her, getting all her stuff from the tenements and saving those bastards that had their paws all over her…He's gonna get a bruisin'"

"I should go," Chantelle said quickly, realising that nothing she could say would stop Johnny and his boys from attacking Jimmy, admitting defeat. "I have things to do."

Calming himself down, Johnny nodded his head, "Yeah sure. I owe you one…You helped me out today."

With that, Johnny whistled to his Greasers and the three of them headed back into New Coventry, whilst Chantelle turned in the opposite direction back towards Bullworth Academy, her mind buzzing.


	30. Giving In

****_**Author's Notes; **Thank you for everyone who has reviewed this far! Very happy you guys liked it but the action doesn't stop there. I'm amazed at how fast I'm writing these...Although I expect some writer's block very soon...That and I have exams and such in January which means I'll have to spend most of my time revising and writing essays. But...I hope you like this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it._

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**Chapter 30 – Giving In**

Tapping her pen against her notebook, Chantelle stared unseeingly at the blackboard not taking in a word that Dr. Watts was saying. They had just finished up a lab practical on titration and they were now doing the theory behind it, but the words were no longer penetrating Chantelle's distracted mind. She had only attended the class to force her mind to think of something else other than Lola's harsh words, Jimmy's reaction to Johnny Vincent's sudden and surprising kiss…And of course, Johnny Vincent himself. But it had not done much good and she was now thinking about all of the drama again.

Resting her head against the palm of her hand, she found herself almost seeming to doze off. Her eyes were itching to close, having had another bad night's sleep last night. She had revealed everything to Christy, who seemed just as flabbergasted as she was about Johnny Vincent and seemed incapable of giving advice that was of any use. In fact she seemed to have more questions than answers and she knew about as much as Christy did…That being nothing.

When the bell rang, Chantelle's cheek slipped of her palm and she nearly head-butted the desk. The class was dismissed and the few students who had chosen to attend began to file out. Chantelle shoved her stuff quickly in her bag and when she went to stand up, she noticed that Beatrice had stayed behind and was stood next to her, wringing her hands nervously.

"Hey Beatrice," Chantelle said, standing up and pushing her chair in. She had never really spoken to the girl before, but she doubted she was going to be anything like Lola, Mandy or Pinky. She guessed the reason why Beatrice looked so nervous was because Chantelle was beginning to get a reputation for being violent and aggressive.

"I've been trying to find you for ages," Beatrice began, looking over her shoulder and noticing that Dr. Watts had already left the classroom, leaving them quite alone. "Ever since you and Pete Kowalski had that little meeting in the library, I mean. I saw how upset you were and I think I might have a bit of information you might find interesting…Or suspicious."

"Okay…Elaborate?"

"Well you see, I don't think it's Peter's fault. A few days before that, he was approached by none other than that Gary Smith. From what I saw when I was studying with Bucky, it was quite a heated meeting. It actually looked as though Pete was trying to stand up for himself, but the look on Gary's face…"

Chantelle frowned and shifted her bag on her shoulder, looking at Beatrice without much surprise. After what Gary had said during their confrontation near Tobias' bike shop, she already knew he had had a hand in Petey's sudden change of heart.

"Anyway, I just thought you'd like to know. I'm sure Peter didn't mean to upset you the way he did, if I was in his shoes and was being threatened like that I know I'd steer clear too."

"Thanks Beatrice. Glad to know there are at least a few decent people at Bullworth."

Beatrice gave her a warm smile as they left the classroom together,

"I just hope I was of some help, I'm sorry I couldn't find you to tell you sooner. I should go; I have to meet Bucky and Thad to study."

Beatrice turned left, and Chantelle proceeded right, leaving the school through the front entrance. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with the information that Beatrice had provided, nor did she have any idea what she was supposed to do about Pete Kowalski either. It had only seemed to add to the mass of confusion that was revolving around her mind.

The only good bit of news was that the weather had begun to warm up and the snow and ice had finally begun to melt so there were no longer impromptu snowballs fights or people falling heavily on the ice and students no longer had to walk around with layers of clothing on.

Chantelle looked up at the weak Sun which had finally made its appearance after weeks of absence, before hearing someone whispering her name. It took her a few seconds to realise what was going on, and she glanced around to find the source.

Ricky Pucino was half-hiding behind a bin, peeking over the rim at Chantelle before staring around the campus grounds quickly. Chantelle found this to be quite humorous, bringing a smile to her face. He gestured for her to come towards him, and she did so without question. Ricky had not been a thorn in hers or Jimmy's side since his and Christy's relationship had ended, and she had taken this to be a good sign.

"What's up Ricky? Why are you hiding behind a bin?"

"I don't want people to overhear us," He said, his voice still barely above a whisper. He grabbed her arm and dragged her down next to him so they were both crouching in the corner. Chantelle had to try extremely hard to refrain from giggling.

"Anyway, I got somethin' to tell you about that whole scene yesterday. Norton let me in on what was goin' on 'cause I had to give Johnny your number. Greasers have to listen to Johnny y'know."

Today just seemed to be a day of revelations…

"So I went to Johnny, but before I handed over the number, I asked him some questions. Bit dangerous to go snooping around in his business y'know, but for once he didn't seem to mind. The only thing he didn't give away was the fact that that crazy psychopath was involved…Norton told me that part."

"Gary Smith!" Chantelle said in outrage, forgetting to keep her voice down. Ricky immediately hushed her, and poked his head above the bin to ensure they had still gone unnoticed. He returned to his starting position and nodded his head.

"Yeah, that kid. He said he had an idea that would piss Hopkins off and get his own back on Lola for being a slut. Johnny didn't mind using you at all; in fact it was the first time I've seen Johnny looking so happy since he found out Lola was getting with that Preppy kid. I didn't think he had it in him to do somethin' like that to Lola…"

Chantelle's stomach seemed to drop at the word 'used', and her lingering thoughts of Johnny Vincent seemed to distort somewhat. Of course she knew he was infatuated with Lola, but how she ever believed she stood a chance with him was something she couldn't quite understand. She assumed it was just wishful thinking, getting her hopes up for nothing.

"So why are you telling me this if it's something Johnny's obviously not going to approve of?"

"You're a decent girl Chantelle, and you did some good work on that bitch Lola. Plus…I don't really like that Gary Smith kid, there's something _wrong_ about him…I just thought maybe you could pass the information on to Jimmy and he could keep an eye out…" He replied simply, still looking a little nervous about giving out so much information.

"Well…Thank you I guess? Although I think Jimmy hates me enough and I doubt he's ever going to listen to what I have to say again."

"Nahh. I doubt that, you and 'im are close."

"You didn't see the look on his face when Johnny laid that kiss on me Ricky. I tried to find him after but…He's gone AWOL apparently. I'm trying to give him some space to calm down but I know what he's like when he believes someone has _betrayed _him…So to speak."

"Just talk to 'im, he'll listen to you I'm sure of it. He should believe you over someone he's having a bit of a feud with if he's got any brains."

"Maybe…But I should go, the longer I stay around here the more chance you've got of being noticed. I'll try and find Jimmy tomorrow, see if he's gonna listen to anything I have to say."

"Sure thing Chantelle…"

Chantelle smiled hesitantly and then straightened up quickly. Her legs had started to ache and her knees popped loudly and she winced in response. Ricky remained hidden behind the bin for a while longer whilst Chantelle walked away.

So, she would try and sort this entire thing out with Jimmy tomorrow…But now what?

Standing in the middle of the courtyard, she glanced towards the Girl's Dormitory whilst her brain began to move into over-drive once again. A prefect gave her a suspicious glare as he strolled past, but for once he didn't shoot a nasty insult at her. Once he had started up towards the Girl's Dormitory, Chantelle had made up her mind.

Instead of turning left, she went right towards the Boy's Dormitory. If Pete Kowalski had been avoiding the library and had also stopped attending classes, then there could only really be one other place in which he could possibly be hiding. His room.

Constantinos came pelting down the stairs followed seconds later by Trent who was looking livid and hurling abuse at the fleeing student. This gave the perfect distraction, as the other students moved to watch. She quickly ascended the stairs and slipped in through the slowly closing door.

The dorm looked even worse than before, if that was even possible. Graffiti covered the pictures and some of the wall space, there was litter covering the dirty wooden floor along with splintered wood, poker chips and stray marbles. There were even the remains of firecrackers and shards of glass from stink bombs. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as the lingering stench, but she continued onwards anyway.

Ray Hughes was sat on the sofa watching the television; they were the only two things that seemed undisturbed by the aggressive male students. She moved as quietly as possible, creeping along the hallway, avoiding glass and marbles as she went. It was only when she looked left and right that she realised she had no idea where Petey's room actually was and knocking on all the doors would just ruin the stealthy approach she had taken thus far.

But it seemed that luck was on her side, because a door on the right hand side of the dormitory opened and Petey Kowalski came rushing out, looking flustered and scared. He exited the room in a hurry, slamming the door shut just in time as something heavy banged against the door.

Pete moved quickly down the corridor, not paying attention to the mess scattered across it and it was only when he nearly collided with her, did he pay attention to Chantelle.

He face changed and he jumped back looking terrified. He looked nervously over his shoulder, and then looked back at her.

"Gary Smith threatened you." Chantelle said simply, moving to the left so that if Ray looked around, he wouldn't be able to see her. "Told you to never speak to me again or he'd…He'd what? Hit you? Break a limb or something? Was that him in there? You share a room with him?"

Petey looked panicked as he looked over his shoulder again, but seeing the door still firmly closed he believed it would be alright to answer.

"He threatened me, said he'd beat me down and get me put in the infirmary if I continued talking to you and being your friend…There's no getting away from him…"

"So you do share a room with him?"

Petey nodded and then moved around Chantelle, wanting to leave the dormitory as soon as humanly possible without falling on something. Understanding that their conversation was over, and believing that they couldn't be friends until this was sorted with Gary, she walked onwards towards the room that Pete had just fled from.

Hesitating only for a few seconds, Chantelle knocked loudly and then waited. Her heart rate had increased, it was beating hard against her ribcage and the desire to turn round and leave was almost overwhelming. But she held her ground and waited, hearing Gary mumbling to himself as he moved to open the door.

The first thing Chantelle noticed when he did open the door, was how extremely pissed off he was. But his expression changed almost instantly when he saw who had disturbed him from his planning and thoughts, and instead of the angry expression, he was smirking.

"Chantelle Matthews, what a pleasant surprise. I admit that I…"

"You win." Chantelle said bluntly, cutting straight across him and staring at him with something she hoped was a blank unreadable expression.

Gary completely lost track on what he was saying and stared at Chantelle as though he couldn't quite believe what she was saying. Chantelle looked away from him and stared down the corridor to ensure nobody was eavesdropping, and only looked back when he started talking.

"What did you say?"

"I said you win. I give in." She added tonelessly, her head snapping back to him, her eyes still seemingly dead and expressionless.

Without warning, Gary's arm shot out and his fingers folded around her wrist, pulling her inside his room. Chantelle did not protest or attempt to drag herself away from his grip, she just allowed herself to be pulled about.

He closed the door with a snap and then turned to face her as she moved a little further away so she could at least have some thinking time in case he decided to lunge at her again.

"I want you to stop with the manipulation and the mind games, to stop threatening people purely because they talk to me. I want you to stop it all. You got what you wanted yesterday, Jimmy hates me. We aren't friends. You win, so leave them alone. You want someone else to…To threaten and mess around, use me."

Chantelle's voice was laced with despair, and her face mirrored this. She had finally let her emotions through the wall she had tried to build up and her brief moment of aggravation was covered with something like misery.

Gary revelled in this, and his smirk broadened. It had worked just as he had planned, it didn't matter whether Chantelle knew he had cause the fool Johnny Vincent to use her as bait or not, it had worked far better than he ever could have imagined…But then again, Jimmy Hopkins didn't really have a decent working brain.

"It worked better than I ever could've believed…" Gary began; his voice was quiet, almost as though he was speaking to himself. Chantelle remained quite still watching him. "Jimmy's lost the one person he truly cared about and you…" He looked towards her with a strange expression, something Chantelle couldn't even put into words.

He began to approach her and she automatically began to move backwards away from him. There was very limited space and it wasn't long before she hit the desk drawers and could move no further. Gary continued to approach her until they were only inches apart, that same strange expression playing across his face.

She could feel his breath on her cheek, and her heart seemed to be beating painfully hard and painfully fast, she wouldn't have been surprised if he could hear it too in the silence that had followed his incomplete sentence.

He pushed her to the side, and she easily fell against the wall but she had no time to recover because Gary had forced himself against her, his lips pressing roughly against her own. His right hand pushed her shoulder against the wall again, his fingertips pressing in against the skin.

Pushing him away, she stared at him with incredulity but he just smirked at her,

"Tell me that this isn't what you want Chantelle," He said breathlessly, staying incredibly close to her, his eyes shifting all over her face, taking everything in.

Chantelle suddenly found that she couldn't deny it, that she couldn't even find a way to argue against his statement, her eyes just bored into his. Taking this to be all the answers he needed, Gary pressed his body against her, pinning her against the wall as his lips met hers in a rough kiss once more. His left hand intertwined itself in her hair and he pulled it back, exposing the pale flesh of her neck.

Gary's lips trailed down to her neck and he kissed along it, making Chantelle tremble against him. He pushed her roughly back again and gently bit down on the flesh. She let out a moan, her nails digging in to his arms, which only seemed to spur Gary on. He moved back to her lips, releasing her hair and releasing some of the hold he had on her. Chantelle found his shoulders, and with as much force as she could, pushed him back.

This time however, she came with him.

Her body moved against his, and he embraced her. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her with him, proceeding to fall against the bed. They landed with a loud strain of the springs, and Chantelle bit his lip playfully, her nails dragging down his back which was covered only with the thin material of his school shirt. He groaned against her neck, manoeuvring his arms so they were pinning her wrists down.

All the pent up frustration and aggression had been converted to something Chantelle would have never dreamed about, but all that was spoiled when Avenged Sevenfold began to play from her jacket pocket.

_She's a dwelling place for demons.__  
She's a cage for every unclean spirit,__  
every filthy bird and makes us drink__  
the poisoned wine to fornicating with our king_

Gary pulled his head back and stared at her with longing, before lowering his head to the place where he could feel the vibration from her cell-phone. He stood up and turned his back on her, whilst Chantelle quickly grabbed her cell from the confines of her pocket with tumultuous disappointment.

She looked at the name that was flashing on her cell.

_Christy._

Standing up and adjusting herself, Chantelle stared at the back of Gary's head as she answered the phone.

"Hey Christy, what's going on?"

"You need to get back here, right now."

"What? Why? What's happened now? Don't tell me Davis hit a kid or something…?"

"No. Jimmy decided to smash our damn window with a brick with a fucking note attached to it. It appears he can't do conventional anymore…"

Chantelle cursed loudly and shook her head, "I'll be there in a minute Christy. It's a good job the weather is picking up or we'd be sleeping in the fucking artic."

She hung up the cell and looked towards Gary again, but his back was still facing her. Taking this to be a form of dismissal, she left the room without another word.


	31. Strike One

**_Author's Notes; _**_Over 100 reviews! Thank you very much, I am exceptionally grateful for everyone who reads my story! This will possibly be the last chapter I upload until after Christmas/New Year since I'm extremely busy. I do have two more chapters in the making, I'm trying to get ahead so I can upload in between my exams and such, since I'll be too busy cramming to write. Anyway, enjoy :]_

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**Chapter 31 – Strike One**

Chantelle left the Boy's Dormitory as quickly as possible and was relieved to see that Trent Northwick and Constantinos Brakus were now in the middle of a fight, attracting the attention of all the students in the vicinity. A prefect was sprinting towards them and Chantelle's reappearance did not attract any attention as she quickly passed them, giving them a wide berth to avoid getting involved. On any other day she probably would have held back for a while to see who would have won but there were other matters of greater importance.

As she got closer to the Girl's Dormitory, she instinctively looked up and saw that their window had indeed been smashed through. A few shards of glass were sticking out dangerously from the frame and another Prefect was stood underneath talking heatedly to Mrs. Peabody. Ignoring them, she walked inside and headed towards her room.

The door was standing wide open and Chantelle could already see the glinting shards of broken glass scattered across the floor. The brick was directly in the centre but there was no longer a note attached to it. She walked inside and her eyes were drawn to the red-head with her legs drawn up on the bed looking extremely pissed off. As soon as Chantelle entered the room, Christy jumped to her feet and closed the door quickly behind her and then proceeded to stuff the crumpled note into Chantelle's hand.

"I had to hide it from Mrs. Peabody, she came storming in as soon as she heard the noise. I figured Jimmy would've been kicked out of here if they realised he was vandalising the place. I know I'm pissed off with him…But I wouldn't want him to get expelled for it." Christy shrugged and moved back to her bed again but being careful that she didn't tread on any glass as she went. Chantelle straightened out the paper and read what very little was written on the paper.

_Vincent's Bitch._

_Beach, under the pier at 5pm._

_-Jimmy_

"He felt the need to throw a brick through our window just to say that?" Chantelle said with incredulity, "He's really lost it."

"More to the point, are you going?" Christy asked, averting her gaze from the broken window to look at the shock on Chantelle's face.

"Of course I am. I can't be having him destroying the school just because he thinks I bloody betrayed him."

"Well me and Davis are coming then." Christy said sternly, getting back to her feet and fishing out her cell phone from within her jacket pocket.

Chantelle shook her head and crumpled the letter back up, thrusting it into her pocket with plans of binning it as soon as she got off campus. Christy was right; she didn't want Jimmy to get expelled, no matter what idiotic stunt he had pulled.

"That's nice of you but I'm going to have to do this alone. He wants to talk to me…Or shout at me more likely, and you and Davis showing up is just going to piss him off even more."

Christy accepted this, but she was still planning on getting Davis to come with her to the beach to keep an eye on them. She had an idea that smashing windows was just the beginning and she wasn't opposed to the idea that Jimmy might actually strike a girl when he was in a foul temper…Not that Chantelle couldn't hold her own ground, but Jimmy could be a brute.

"I should get going then." Chantelle said, taking the silence to be Christy's agreement. "I'll be back as soon as Jimmy's worn himself out."

"The window might've been replaced by then if we're lucky," Christy answered, "Whenever things concern the girls or the Girl's Dormitory, things get done almost instantly. I'd actually say we're pretty lucky."

Smiling weakly, Chantelle gave the shattered window another dismal glance before leaving the room. The idea of another confrontation with Jimmy was something she certainly wasn't looking forward to but perhaps if she just explained the situation she would be able to diffuse his anger and this entire thing could be put behind them.

Hopefully.

The fight between Trent and Constantinos had finally been broken up, and the Prefect who was holding them both tightly by the upper arm appeared to be covered in black ash. Chantelle didn't pay much attention once again; her mind was too preoccupied with what she was walking in to. She didn't even look towards the Boy's Dormitory especially considering the heated moment she had just recently shared with Gary Smith.

It took Chantelle ten minutes to reach the Pier; she had been dawdling and trying to waste as much time as possible, her mind flicking between Gary Smith and Jimmy Hopkins. If everything was resolved between her and Jimmy, what would happen?

Would Gary Smith resume his torture of everyone she was close to? Would he continue on with his mind games and his manipulation? And what would he do to poor Petey Kowalski after he had disobeyed Gary's orders?

She descended the steps to the beach with increasing dread, and as she passed the wooden structure, she saw the figure of Jimmy leaning against it looking livid. Chantelle came into view and his face slowly turned towards hers. She chose to keep her distance, and she defensively folded her arms across her chest trying to keep eye contact with him.

"The brick was a little excessive don't you think?" Chantelle said quietly, lowering her gaze and kicking absently at the sand.

"I was making a statement." Jimmy replied shortly, trying to keep his temper under-wraps.

"You made a statement when you agreed to what that slut Lola said about me."

Jimmy greeted this sentence with an infuriated glare but found that he had no words to throw back at her. He had caught a glimpse of the expression on her face when he had not come to her defence, and in all honesty it had given him some satisfaction.

"You kissed Johnny Vincent!" Jimmy shot out in outrage, straightening himself up and walking a few steps towards her.

"No Jimmy, _he _kissed me! There's a god-damn difference!"

"Does it really fucking matter who kissed who?" Jimmy retorted, his anger starting to break through. "I could see how much you fucking enjoyed it. What? Did you two share a passionate moment in the library? Were you lying about that too?"

"For crying out loud Jimmy, it was a fucking plot set-up by Gary Smith! You're a fool to think I'd betray you like that! I was trying to _help_ you!"

Jimmy let out a snort of derisive laughter and shook his head, and Chantelle took several steps away from him.

"You did it before though didn't you? Can't you remember flitting around with Parker when the fucking Preps were giving me grief! You gave the exact same excuse then too!"

Chantelle stared at him, shocked that he was bringing everything up again especially since she had explained her reasoning behind the entire thing once before, the fact that she was trying to help him once again seemed lost on him.

"You know Jimmy; I'm beginning to think you just don't trust me at all. Every time I get a tiny bit of attention off some guy you go ape-shit on me and quite frankly I'm getting sick of it! You don't listen to a word I have to say and you just go off and do your own thing and get into more shit. You think it's fine to go around with sluts like Lola, or snobs like Pinky but whenever I get involved with someone you scream and shout at me, having a hissy fit like a fucking five year old! I thought you were over this! I thought you were better than this!"

Jimmy's face contorted with rage and Chantelle felt obliged to move even further away from him. She had never seen him looking so angry, it was almost a crazed expression and it was somewhat scaring her.

"Don't flatter yourself Chantelle, the reason why I don't listen to you is because all you do is whine and complain! You stand there thinking you're better than me because low behold you can stay out of trouble cause you're a fucking girl! I was defending my damn friends when the Greasers decided to turn on me but you jumped the gun and thought I was just being arrogant! You're unbelievable! To think you still thought I liked you I..."

"Excuse me Hopkins, I highly doubt that's anyway to talk to a girl."

Chantelle and Jimmy both turned towards the newcomer in silence, the posh accent had been a dead giveaway but Chantelle had no idea who he actually was. He was looking Jimmy up and down with dislike.

"And who the hell do you think you are interfering in my business, trust-fund baby? I'm pretty sure I kicked your asses already so lay off."

"I'm somebody with manners and principles, something that you clearly do not have."

Only infuriating him further, Jimmy turned on the Prep and began to approach him with his fists firmly clenched. The Prep did not back down, and instead took on a pose that undoubtedly proved he was one of the regular boxers at the Glass Jaw. Not wanting to witness a pointless fight over her, Chantelle moved quickly forward to try and intervene before things got out of hand.

"Can you not do this! This is just ridiculous there's no need to…" Chantelle stopped abruptly and jumped backwards to avoid Jimmy who had decided to take a quicker route to fighting. He tackled the Prep to the damp sand with a heavy thud and reared his fist back ready for the first punch. Chantelle let out a frustrated yell and moved forward again. The first punch connected with the Prep's shoulder blade, as he managed to manoeuvre himself underneath Jimmy so his face wouldn't be in the line of fire.

Chantelle lunged forward at the same time that Jimmy pulled his fist back the second time, her plan being to try and hold him off to avoid another punch. However, her plan backfired and Jimmy's elbow connected painfully with her face. A bolt of pain shot up through her nose and she let out a scream of pain before falling heavily on the sand. Tears pricked in her eyes and her hands were drawn instantly to her stinging nose. Blood rushed between them and she moved away from the two fighting boys quickly, the heels of her boots digging into the sand.

Jimmy's head snapped back when he heard her scream and his rage was fully replaced with numb shock. He had never meant to hurt her, no matter how pissed he was he would have never hit her and yet there she was with her nose seeping blood and angry tears rolling down her cheeks.

Using this to his advantage, the Prep pushed Jimmy forcefully of him and gave him a powerful right-hook, hitting him square in the face for good measure. Jimmy hit the ground like a ton of bricks and covered his own face with his hands, groaning in pain.

"Guys like you make me sick." He spat, heading towards Chantelle and kneeling down in front of her. Chantelle withdrew one of her hands from her bloodied nose and used it to get herself up to a standing position. The Prep followed suite and held her steady when she swayed delicately on the spot, but Chantelle didn't seem to approve and she shrugged it away.

"Chantelle I didn't mean…I'm sorry…" Jimmy groaned, getting himself into a seating position, a bruise already forming around his left eye. "Chantelle…"

"Leave me the hell alone Jimmy! You've made your damn decision and…And all you've done is cause me more shit than what you're worth. Just leave me alone!" She scolded, her voice slightly muffled by her hands and the blood still oozing from her nose.

Jimmy looked as though he had been hit all over again as Chantelle took off up the beach, not even glancing back over her shoulder. He could do nothing but watch as the Prep hurried after her, calling her name.

Chantelle turned round abruptly, making her head swim and her eyes grow unfocused and the Prep nearly collided with her.

"What? What could you possibly want with me? Does Derby Harrington want to kidnap me again? Maybe use me as bait for the fucking Greasers! What?"

He looked quite abashed at her sudden outpour, but he quickly regained his composure and dismissed the majority of the sentence.

"I was just going to ask if you wanted to go get cleaned up at the Glass Jaw. It would be a little better than walking on campus with a bloodied nose, people might think Lola has attacked you and got the best of you or something…Wouldn't that just be a bit embarrassing?"

"Right now I don't care what people think about me, I just want to clean myself up and get away from _him._"

"I insist, the Glass Jaw is right up those steps and we could get you some ice to relieve the pain…We are a boxing club after all. We have all the medical crap you could ever ask for."

Regarding this sentence, Chantelle's expression softened slightly. The thought of having cool ice was extremely inviting and the best she would get at the dorm would be cold water.

"Fine but no funny business alright?"

"I wouldn't dream of it,"

They both started walking again, Chantelle still stubbornly refusing to even look over her shoulder to see if Jimmy had recovered or not. In her own rage she didn't want anything to do with Jimmy, and perhaps it was a good job that the Prep had interfered when he did, since the meeting was only getting more heated and she doubted that anything would've been resolved.

"I'm sorry but…I don't even know your name."

"It's Bryce. Bryce Montrose. I apologise if I intruded but Jimmy was being extremely disrespectful, I couldn't just walk on and leave it."

"Well I highly doubt Jimmy is going to be happy about you trying to attack him when he thinks you work for him now."

"I was defending a girl from his vicious onslaught, I'm pretty sure people would make exceptions for that and when Jimmy calms down a little, he'll think so too."

They ascended the steps and Chantelle found that she couldn't argue against that. As they crossed the road and entered the Glass Jaw, a few adults stopped to stare at the bloodied girl, their mouths sagging open or their eyes narrowing with suspicion. Ignoring them, Bryce quickly opened the door for Chantelle, and she thanked him as she walked in.

There were only a couple of Preps in the boxing area; Bif who was too busy hammering away at the punch bag and Justin who was doing weights in the corner, admiring himself in the mirror as he did so.

Bryce took Chantelle very gently by the arm and lead her up more steps and Chantelle noted that this was the room in which Jimmy had beaten the Preps and their leader Derby and she felt herself wanting to go anywhere but. She kept her mouth shut though, and let herself be pulled inside and seated down.

"I'll be back in a few seconds. Don't worry; Derby is at Harrington House with most of the other Preps."

Chantelle shrugged and finally lowered her hands, feeling that the blood had finally stopped flowing. Her fingers were now covered in dried blood and she felt quite faint looking at it. How she had ever managed to do Biology without fainting was a mystery to her.

"Here," Bryce said a few minutes later, bringing a bucket full of ice, a damp cloth and a first aid kit into the room with him. Chantelle gave him a smile of relief and took the cloth first to clean herself up. Bryce moved it out of her grasp however, and chose to do it himself.

"Oh you don't have to do that," Chantelle said quickly, reaching for it again. Bryce simply smiled and shook his head before wiping her hands clean, and then using the other side of the cloth to gently wipe at her face. Chantelle's cheeks were growing scarlet and she felt quite embarrassed, severely hoping that nobody would walk in.

She winced slightly as he cleaned the bridge, then the tip of her nose but he was so gentle that there was only a slight twinge of pain. Once he removed the cloth, Chantelle found herself thanking him again and she moved to get the ice to relieve the remainder of her pain.

"There will probably be some bruising, but the ice might reduce the colouring. It's just a good job it isn't broken or it would've been off to the infirmary for you."

Chantelle's eyes flicked up to meet his and she sighed, adjusting the ice pack a little so it was directly on the painful areas. She winced once more and then tilted her head back against the wall. All she could picture was Petey holed up in the infirmary with broken bones and a bloodied face. Perhaps Gary had watched the entire scene between her and Jimmy, perhaps he would believe that his mission was complete and he would leave Peyey and Christy alone…Perhaps.

"Wouldn't that have been a brilliant gift for Jimmy to give me," Chantelle said disheartened, choosing to stare up at the ceiling.

"Hopkins needs a cool-down, he believes he's the toughest kid in the school and he certainly deserved everything he got right then. Maybe he'll realise how much of a prick he was being, I mean he apologised to you. That's something at least,"

Her nose was growing numb and the pain was ebbing away. She felt incredibly relaxed just leaning against the wall and she felt as though she could possibly sleep for a week. The ice slipped from her grip and fell to the ground with a crunch bringing Chantelle to her senses and she leaned forward again.

"Yeah…I guess. Thanks for everything Bryce but I really should go. I was supposed to meet Christy since she's all pissed at Jimmy for being a jerk and smashing our window…But I suppose I can say you're not all that bad."

"If you're talking about the ambush and kidnapping thing…We were all sorry for having to do it but Derby…He can be quite manipulative when he wants to be and since he has the power to demote us and throw us out we…Did as we were told."

"It's fine," Chantelle said with a shrug, "I'm sorta getting over the entire thing. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that."

Bryce gave her another warm smile and stood up quickly, taking her by the hand and stabilising her as she too got to her feet. Chantelle managed another smile as he escorted her to the door.

"Don't worry, I think I'm going to be able to get to campus just fine," Chantelle said, letting go of his hand and exiting the Glass Jaw. "But thank you again; you did a great thing back there."

"No problem Chantelle," Bryce responded, his eyes resting on the back of her head as she made her way back to the school.

* * *

_Okay I'm not saying Bryce is going to be a love interest for Chantelle, but there's a possibility that Parker may be appearing soon with a potential jealousy plot...Everything is still being thought out ahead of the times but as usual I'd like to know what you guys would like to see (Characters/Pairings/Plot-Lines etc) _


	32. Lola's Revenge

**_Author's Notes;_**_Okay I'm aware that it seems like a long time since I've updated but unfortunately I have three exams (16th, 17th, 23rd) that are of great importance for my University course and are worth 50% of each module I'm undertaking. So...No writing. I just don't have time. I had this one written up a few weeks back so I'm trying to prolong the time that I update so it's not like months before the next chapter. This is a short one so I do apologise._

* * *

**Chapter 32 – Lola's Revenge**

"So you and Jimmy are just not going to talk like…Ever again?"

"No, I'm not going to talk to him ever again."

Christy had met Chantelle as she crossed the bridge back to the school and had been horrified to see her bruised nose and even more disgusted when Chantelle revealed the truth about her injury. Davis had accompanied Christy and he was holding back a little, acting almost like a bodyguard for the two girls but Jimmy was nowhere in sight but was still trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Well at least he apologised for being a complete prick,"

"He apologised for hitting me in the cross-fire, he didn't apologise for being a jealous, untrustworthy psychopath." Chantelle corrected dully, keeping her head lowered and her eyes remained firmly on the pavement. Christy was doing most of the directing and had to grab her friend's arm to avoid her from walking into Eunice Pound who was taking up most of the ground and paying more attention to her chocolate than anything else.

"I'm still surprised you let a Prep clean you up, especially considering the whole kidnapping thing."

"I have to get over that sometime. Plus it wasn't Bryce's idea to kidnap me it was Derby's and they follow his every order down to the very last detail."

The three of them walked on to the campus and Davis said a quick goodbye to Christy, giving her a passionate kiss before running up towards the school and making a sharp right, undoubtedly heading to the car park to meet his fellow Bullies. Chantelle followed his route with her eyes until he was out of eye-sight and then they too turned off to the right retreating back to the Girl's Dormitory.

"Hey what did I tell you!" Christy said, trying to lighten the mood a little. Chantelle looked up and followed her gaze and saw that the window had been replaced. "I told you it'd get fixed by the time your back and now we get a nice shiny new window, and a clean room to go with it. Mrs. Peabody was hoovering the glass up and got a little carried away. The place is spotless."

Smiling only seemed to pain her nose more now that the effects of the ice had worn off and she grimaced instead, pushing open the door to the Girl's Dormitory without much enthusiasm. She felt drained and exhausted from the events of the day and she would've been more than happy to just climb inside her bed and sleep until next week, where the bruising might've gone and she could attempt to forget about the entire Jimmy situation.

Her train of thought was disrupted by the appearance of Pinky Gauthier who had just left her own dorm room, and was staring at Chantelle with curiosity. Chantelle averted her gaze quickly and turned to walk up the stairs but her shrill voice called out and made them both stop mid-step.

"Oh look at your nose!" Pinky started, walking towards them and squinting her eyes as though that would make the visibility better. "Who hit you Chantelle? Was it Lola? Don't tell me that _slut_got the best of you!" Pinky put her hands on her hips and shook her head, but just as Chantelle was turning to leave, Christy had moved passed her and was standing directly in front of the Aquaberry Princess looking livid.

"Why don't you keep your snotty nose out of other people's business?" Christy asked her voice seemingly quite calm in comparison to the anger on her face.

"Well actually, I was trying to make peace with Chantelle and with you because of…But you chose to shoot the gun and verbally attack me! I hate Lola as much as you girls do and if this was her then…"

"It wasn't Lola, in fact it doesn't matter who it was. It was an accident; I got caught in the crossfire trying to diffuse a situation. So you can spread that round if you want because there's practically nothing else to say."

Pinky folded her arms over her Aquaberry vest and observed Chantelle for a few more seconds before shrugging her shoulders.

"Well I'm sure the school will find out the truth without my intervention. But if you do want to get at Lola, let me know. I'm sure we can find a way to really hurt her, with or without violence." Pinky grinned and then turned to leave the door, leaving Christy glaring after her. Chantelle didn't wait, she turned around and began making her way up the stairs and had already reached the top before Christy had even realised she'd moved.

Pushing open her dorm room, she was only slightly amazed at how clean, fresh and tidy it looked before collapsing on her bed and putting her face gently into her hands, closing her eyes against her palms.

Christy entered the room a few seconds later and closed the door firmly behind her, before crossing the room and sitting down heavily on her own bed.

"Are you alright?"

Chantelle turned her head slightly so her voice wouldn't be muffled by her quilt and hands but had to think about her answer. Was she alright? She had just lost Jimmy Hopkins whom she had considered to be a close friend, and in truth she had betrayed him by finally giving in to Gary Smith in a moment of temptation and weakness, and then the whole Lola and Johnny Vincent scenario…What exactly was she supposed to do about that?

"I'm fine." Chantelle lied, her eyes were begging to close and her head was beginning to ache painfully. "I just need some sleep I think, my nose is killing me."

"Okay, I'll come and check on you later. I'll leave you to get some sleep,"

Chantelle murmured something incoherent as Christy stood back up to the leave the room. She looked back over her shoulder, concerned not for the first time, that something else was bothering her best friend.

* * *

Waking with a start, Chantelle sat up straight in her bed feeling incredibly disorientated and stared around. She had been covered over by her quilt and the curtains had been drawn but it was still day-time, the Sun was filtering through the small gap that had been left. Christy was nowhere to be seen and she assumed her best friend was still giving her some space to sleep, but when she checked the time on her alarm clock she was that it was already 1pm _the next day._ Shocked at how long she had actually slept Chantelle get out of bed and began to change into fresh clothes. Now that she was somewhat wide awake, she noticed how much cleaner and tidier the room was and noted that it wouldn't take long before it was in its usual state again with Christy and her living in its confines.

Not really having a clue what to do, but not wanting to stay in her dormitory room either, Chantelle left in search of Christy. She was positive that she would come up with something to do, and Davis could come along if he really wanted too. Now that she was alone, all she wanted was some company to keep her mind off all the drama and problems that had arisen over the past few days. She thought about Bryce Montrose, about how kind and gentle he had been when he helped her clean up. She thought about Jimmy, his face contorting with rage and his voice growing louder with fury. She thought about Johnny Vincent leaning over her, the expression he had given her of lust before kissing her. She thought about Lola and how she had threatened her, how she had given her a poisonous stare before walking off. And of course, how could she forget about Gary Smith, about the passionate kiss that _they_ too shared just yesterday…And how he wouldn't even look at her after the moment was ruined.

Once again she was so caught up in her mind that she didn't see the figure come storming through the doors to the Girl's Dormitory with murderous intent on their face. By the time she realised who it was, it was too late and Chantelle was rammed against the wall, a cold hand gripped tightly across her throat. The world seemed to swim in front of her as her head collided with the wall behind her, the face in front of her became blurred and distorted but the voice penetrated her mind all the same.

"You bitch! You just couldn't stop yourself could you! You couldn't just leave things well alone!"

Her eyes became focused again and she was able to concentrate on the person in front of her. Lola Lombardi was glaring at her, her hand on her throat seeming to tighten and constrict her wind-pipe making it hard to breathe, and thus making it almost impossible to answer. Lola's face was one of pure hatred and she pulled Chantelle forward only to shove her roughly back against the wall again, making her head slam against. The pain was almost overwhelming and the world began to grey out as Chantelle tried to cling on to consciousness.

"Hey!"

This voice was one very unlike Lola's, and it was a voice she certainly recognised. A few seconds later, the hand had relinquished its grip on her throat and Chantelle found herself stumbling towards the closet armchair, everything was still spinning dangerously.

Christy Martin and Pinky Gauthier had dragged Lola away and were now restraining her to stop her from going at Chantelle again.

"What do you think you're doing!" Christy said, still forcefully holding her back which was proving to be quite difficult.

"That…That _slut_ slept with Johnny Vincent! She had fucking sex with my boyfriend!" Lola screamed out hysterically, still focused entirely on Chantelle who was now rubbing her throat and staring at the three struggling girls in front of her. Chantelle herself didn't even register what had been said, but Pinky's grip had slackened with surprise and Lola managed to get out of Christy's grip by shrugging her way out of her leather jacket.

Chantelle had recuperated enough to use her agility to get out of harm's way, throwing herself out of the seat and shifting herself backwards using the heels of her feet, reminding her forcibly of yesterday's incident. Lola tripped over the rug and went flying over the armchair, knocking it over in the process and landing painfully on her wrist.

"Have you completely lost it Lola? Chantelle's been with me since she went down to New Coventry! She hasn't been anywhere near Johnny Vincent!"

"Lola I haven't had sex with Johnny! Christy's right I've not been anywhere near him! Who the hell told you this load of bullshit!"

Lola got quickly to her feet, her neck-scarf was hanging loosely around her neck and her hair was completely out of place but she was still glaring at Chantelle with disbelief, and of course, hatred. She completely disregarded Christy's and Pinky's presence, and started to approach Chantelle again.

"Now you listen to me," Lola started, extending her finger and jabbing it at Chantelle who had scrambled back to her feet. "If you ever…And I mean _ever_ come near me or my Johnny again, I will kill you. I will fucking end you. Do you understand that?"

Chantelle didn't answer she only stared at Lola with confusion whilst Christy and Pinky both moved closer to her, prepared to hold her back if Lola decided to lunge like a mad-man again.

"Do you understand!" Lola snapped, now jabbing her in the shoulder and bringing Chantelle to a quick and resolute nod. This seemed enough for Lola and she turned away from Chantelle and snatched her leather jacket out of Christy's grasp and then realised that Pinky was also in her presence.

"And who do you think you're looking at?" She snapped hastily, before pushing forcefully passed her and leaving to exit the dorm. She gave one more look over her shoulder and regarded Chantelle with a smirk,

"Whoever hit you did a great job."

With that said she stormed out, slamming the door heavily behind her and leaving the three others in silence. The red mark around Chantelle's neck was brilliant against her pale skin, and she found her hand being drawn up to it again, gently massaging it. The painful throbbing at the back of her skull was slowly beginning to subside and her dizziness had gone completely.

"Chantelle are you alright?" Christy asked slowly, moving over to her and gently guiding her to an armchair. "That girl is psychotic; I swear she needs medical help."

Pinky was stood watching the scene, not really having a clue what to do. She hated Lola, and she hadn't particularly warmed to Chantelle either since she had been attacked by her, but seeing her look so confused and almost _helpless_ made her feel quite sympathetic towards her. Instead of hanging around, she decided that Christy and Chantelle needed a bit of space and moved off to her room instead.

"I'm fine." She muttered, making a repeat of what she had said the previous day and shrugged Christy's help off. "Can we just go and get something to eat in town? I want to get off this damn campus and away from the drama. I've had enough of all this crap to last me a life-time."

"Sure we can Chan. Don't worry though; I'm going to make sure Lola doesn't lay another finger on you. I can't believe she thought you'd actually slept with the guy I wonder where she got that from?"

Chantelle remained silent, but had a very good idea who might've spread _that _rumour around. Perhaps the mind games weren't over yet after all.


	33. Favours

**Author's Notes;** _Just a keep note to apologise for the long wait due to exams and essays. I only have one left of each now and this is actually the last chapter that I had all set up and ready to be modified. After this it's down to pure typing, imagination and planning. So I apologise if it's another long wait, that and Final Fantasy XIII-2 is coming out soon so please don't hate me xD_

* * *

**Cha****pter 33 – Favours**

True to her word, Christy had not left Chantelle's side over the past couple of days and this in turn had given Chantelle very little privacy and no alone time whatsoever. Davis didn't particularly enjoy this new behaviour, since he was no longer able to spend his own private time with his girlfriend and the time he did spend with her was extremely limited. Chantelle had tried to shake Christy off several times with varying excuses and had even urged her to go and spend some quality time with Davis when he appeared, but she shrugged it off and proceeded to follow her best friend instead. She appeared to be extremely determined to defend Chantelle after failing to do so on several occasions.

The two of them were currently lazing on the grass underneath a warm Sun in front of the car park. They were accompanied by Trent and Davis who were discussing something in great lengths in hushed voices. Occasionally, Chantelle caught snippets of their conversation when Christy stopped talking herself and whatever they were planning didn't particularly sound too good.

Chantelle still felt quite on edge and was occasionally glancing towards the Greasers hangout, expecting Lola to just stride out at any second and carry on what she had started. Christy had just started talking about something else when the bell rang and drowned her out. In response Chantelle scrambled to her feet and Christy followed suite, glancing around.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"_You're _not going anywhere," Chantelle started with a smile, "I'm gonna go to English and you can have some time with Davis…Alone. You don't have to worry about me, there's more chance of Lola becoming a Nun than her turning up for class. I'll be fine, and I'm pretty sure she won't try anything in front of the Prefects."

Christy opened her mouth to argue but Chantelle shook her head, observing the gratitude on Davis' own face who was now only half-listening to Trent.

"Fine," Christy started, folding her arms over her chest, "But you're going to meet me here after class alright? That's if Galloway turns up at all…I heard his drinking is getting quite out of control…"

"Yeah I'll come find you when we're dismissed. I'll see you later,"

Walking away, Christy continued watching Chantelle until she had entered the school building before turning her attention to Davis, who was already attempting to get rid of Trent.

Reaching the English classroom, Chantelle paid no attention to her surroundings and instead kept her head lowered and her gaze focused on the floor. If there was one thing she didn't want, it was a feud with another crazy student in this horrendous school since she already had Gary Smith and Lola Lombardi to contend with.

Sitting down heavily at a desk, she stared up at the chalkboard and saw an untidy scrawl across it which was undoubtedly today's English task. Galloway was resting his head on the palms of his hands, staring at the students with blood-shot eyes. Chantelle found it almost impossible to look at him and found it even harder to understand him as he slurred his way through an oral explanation of the English task before lurching towards his flask which contained his diluted source of alcohol.

Looking down at the sheet of paper in front of her, Chantelle started her work but found that she couldn't help but look up at the drunken English teacher who was now fully slumped over his desk. She found herself wondering how he was still employed, but this was Bullworth Academy where nothing really made any sense and most of its students were just dumb truants anyway.

Chantelle continued with her assignment, distracting her mind from any lingering thoughts. Before she knew it the bell started ringing again, surprising Galloway from his drunken stupor and making him fall backwards in his chair. Some of the students burst out laughing as they exited the class; others looked at the English teacher with disgust or disappointment. Rising from her desk, Chantelle moved forward to help Galloway, but he pulled himself up with the aid of his desk and left the classroom without even looking back.

"Hey Chantelle,"

She turned her head and saw that Pete Kowalski had been one of the students that had attended the English class and one that had chosen not to laugh at Galloway's antics. He had been tucked away in a corner and had been distracted by Chantelle's appearance, barely even paying attention to his assignment. He had purposely held back to try and catch a conversation with Chantelle and Galloway stumbling out of his classroom had proved to be quite useful.

Chantelle didn't even try to conceal her surprise at the fact that Petey was actually talking to her rather than fleeing the classroom panic-stricken or at the fact that Gary had done something that she had actually asked of him instead of mocking or ignoring her.

"Gary said that he had more important things to do than keep an eye out on me so I guess in proper terms that means I can actually speak to you without thinking he's going to attack me or something," Petey explained just before Chantelle could ask. He smiled but she could still see that he was still a little uneasy, but she chose to reciprocate the smile anyway.

"That's great Pete,"

"Yeah I was thinking that maybe we could hang out again soon, we could go to the Library or something a bit like old times?"

"That sounds good to me, I'll have to try and shake Christy off for an hour or something…Speaking of which…I can't hang around. Christy'll be waiting for me and if I'm late she'll probably think Lola's finally gotten round to murdering me."

"Lola?" Petey asked looking quite astounded. It appears that not all gossip is thrown around Bullworth like Chantelle first believed.

"I'll tell you about it later yeah? I really should go. I'll let you know about the library thing soon…In fact, don't you have a cell? I could text you or something?"

It was his turn to be surprised. It was a very rare occasion that he would find someone who would give him the time of day, yet here Chantelle was asking him for his cell number so they could actually _text _one another. Not even Jimmy (or Gary) went that far.

"Yeah of course…Here let me write it down for you,"

He took a scrap piece of paper off Galloway's desk, tore a strip and began to write the digits down quickly before checking them over numerous times to make sure he hadn't messed up. Straightening up, he turned round and handed her the slip of paper with a nervous smile. It wasn't as if the two of them were setting up a date or anything, but Petey still felt quite giddy and cheerful nonetheless. Now that Gary Smith had chosen to leave him alone he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he could freely converse with Chantelle at will.

"Thanks Pete, I'll text you as soon as this Lola business has cooled off a little and Christy thinks it's safe for me to go around on my own again…"

They left the classroom, said their goodbyes and went their separate ways after they had descended the stairs. Petey went straight ahead, with his destination being the Boy's Dormitory to meet Jimmy whilst Chantelle continued through the school to one of the side entrances that would lead out near the car park.

Before she could reach the door, Ricky Pucino stepped out in front of her and halted her progression. He was wearing a grim expression and seemed displeased with whatever he was about to say or do.

"What now Ricky?" Chantelle asked, trying to sound as pleasant as possible.

"Johnny Vincent wants a word with you Chantelle,"

Having a feeling that something like this was going to happen sooner or later, Chantelle shook her head and took a step back away from him.

"No way Ricky, no way am I risking being attacked again by that psychotic bitch just because your dear Johnny wants a word. Nor am I getting involved in whatever ridiculous scheme you've got planned now, I want nothing to do with it, and nothing to do with Jimmy okay?"

Instead of looking at her or paying even the slightest bit of attention to her, Ricky had been looking just over her shoulder with his expression only darkening ominously. Chantelle turned to follow his gaze as a hand closed around her wrist and began to pull her into the closest classroom, which was coincidentally empty.

Ricky followed them into the classroom and closed the door gently behind them, observing Johnny and Chantelle with concern. Johnny relinquished his grip on Chantelle and glared at her, before he started to pace up and down the classroom obviously trying to keep grips on his anger.

"Ricky get outta here," Johnny said, obviously straining to keep his voice calm. Ricky gave Chantelle an apologetic look before obeying the order and leaving the classroom in a hurry.

"Johnny if this is about…"

"About the rumours you've been spreading around?"

Chantelle's face dropped and she shook her head quickly, "No Johnny you've got the wrong idea, I didn't say anything I swear to you that…"

"Is this revenge Chantelle? You wanna ruin me an' Lola like 'cause you and Jimmy are messed up?"

"What! No Johnny please just listen to me please…I never said anything about you to anyone, seriously why would I want Lola to go psycho-bitch on me again?"

"Don't talk about her like that Chantelle!" Jonny snapped, stopping his pacing and heading towards her again. He looked livid, a mirror image of what he had been like only a week or so previously and Chantelle took several steps away from him, backing into a table and nearly going flying over it.

"I'm sorry, Johnny just stop please!"

It was all becoming far too much, all the secrets and lies, the fighting, the drama…Tears were beginning to form in her widened eyes and as Johnny closed the gap between them, he noticed the first few roll down her pale cheeks as she resigned herself to tears.

Johnny stopped in his tracks, caught completely off guard by her tearful reaction. It was something he had never had to deal with before and he had no idea what to do. His anger had ebbed away and had left him bewildered instead. Perhaps he had known all along that it hadn't been her that had spread the rumour about their apparent sexual behaviour but after Lola had screamed and shouted at him, Chantelle had been the only person he could think of.

"I didn't do anything Johnny I swear," Chantelle said quietly, trying to keep herself under control and wiping her eyes roughly with the back of her hand even though the tears continued to fall silently. Johnny sighed sympathetically and moved towards her anyway, taking her by the shoulders and drawing her in towards him.

Her head rested against his shoulder and her eyes closed as he put a hand supportively against her head. Chantelle never believed he was capable of such tenderness but maybe she was too quick to judge the people at Bullworth.

"I should've known better," Johnny said softly, "You were just tryna help Jimmy out and even though you knew I just messed you around 'cause of some stupid scheme, you tried to help me too. And here I am shouting my mouth off and blaming a girl I'm supposed to owe one too. Good one Johnny…"

"I never asked for any of this to happen," Chantelle responded, her voice slightly muffled by his leather jacket. "So much shit has happened this year already…I really can't hack this shit you know?"

Johnny pulled her gently back again, his hands still resting on her shoulders feeling grateful that her tears had finally come to a stop.

"Do you have any idea who started the rumour? I mean someone must really have it in for you to be telling Lola stories like that." Johnny started, allowing his arms to return to his sides and not noticing that Chantelle had already pieced together the puzzle way before their meeting.

"I have an idea it could have been your favourite sociopath."

"Gary Smith?" Johnny asked, his voice taking a slower tone as his mind started to work it over. It would make sense considering that he had took a vicious delight in bringing up the girl in a scheme that involved damaging a friendship that she obviously cared for.

Chantelle nodded and then looked passed him towards the classroom door, expecting him to be stood there, or at least Lola to top the entire thing off, but her and Johnny were still quite alone.

"Alright, I'll tell you what I'll do since I owe you a favour to begin with for helping me out. I'm gonna tell Lola to lay off you and to stay well away from you, and that the rumours aren't true. Then I'm gonna find this Gary kid and teach the weasel a damn lesson for screwing around with all of us, deal?"

"That's two favours Johnny," Chantelle said, suddenly regretting bringing Gary Smith up in the conversation at all. She didn't want any more violence when it concerned her even if he potentially deserved it.

"The beat-down is complimentary," Johnny said smiling, "Trust me that psycho deserves a punch or two. C'mon we better get outta here before a Prefect comes snooping about."

Leaving the classroom, they headed out of the school with Johnny heading towards the Auto-Shop with thoughts about fixing up his bike, and Chantelle went towards the parking lot.

The uneasy feeling would not disappear and she believed that Gary might actually manipulate his way out of a beating; Johnny wasn't the smartest guy in the school and he was very easily influenced and now that she had divulged the information about him, she had a feeling that her current troubles were going to become trivial in comparison.


	34. Angst

**_Author's Notes; _**_I am so sorry for the lack of updates! University has been pretty crazy recently, and I've had a lot of deadlines and group work to do. However, I did pass my modules for the first Semester if you were wondering. This is a pretty chatty chapter, and with the way I'm going the next one will have a lot more action involved, although the chapter content will be something extremely new to me and I'll admit I've never written anything like it before so expect a bit of delay since I'm prone to the whole perfection and editing/deleting stuff. Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 34 – Angst**

A few days had passed since the strange meeting with Johnny Vincent and a couple of things had unravelled within that short space of time. For one, Lola had tracked down Chantelle and glumly apologised for attacking her without much of a reason within the Girl's Dormitory, much to Christy's glee and pleasure. And secondly, Johnny had made it a habit of finding Chantelle quite often to simply talk to her and gain some much needed advice, whether it was about certain members of the Greaser clique, about Gary Smith or even Lola. This unsurprising friendship was now currently the main focal discussion between Peter Kowalski and Chantelle Matthews as they sat within the confines of the library. True they had books scattered in front of them but reading and studying were far from their minds as they had a quiet, yet heated exchange of words.

"Hanging around with Johnny isn't doing you any favours Chantelle, you saw what it did to Jimmy." Pete said, pushing the book he had been absently trying to read away from him, "He was pissed and whenever he sees you and Johnny together he just goes all moody and nasty."

"And how is that actually my fault? I tried to explain to him that I went down to the underpass to help him out so he didn't get beaten to a pulp. I'd warned him about Lola but he still went around with her didn't he? Knowing that she was Johnny's girl? The fact that Johnny kissed me was a complete shock, and Jimmy should've realised it was a plot to get revenge. But no he chose to end our friendship instead,"

"He's just stubborn that's all, you should know that better than anybody Chantelle. But…Really, is walking around with Johnny at your heels the best option to resolve things?"

Chantelle glared at Pete and after a few seconds he had to avert his gaze, choosing to stare at the floor instead. Jimmy had not expressed how he had felt to Pete and all of this was his own interpretation, but it was obvious that Chantelle and Johnny's friendship only proceeded to infuriate Jimmy, making him turn unpleasant and even cruel on particular occasions.

"Why should it be up to _me _to resolve this Petey?" Chantelle shot back after a few seconds of intense silence, bringing Pete's gaze back to the girl sat opposite.

Instead of answering, Pete simply shrugged. He didn't want to bring up the topic at all but the way Jimmy was acting had forced him to do so. Pete was beginning to saviour the time he had with Chantelle, or the time he spent alone like he had been obliged to do at the start of the year. That was far better than being in the current company of Jimmy Hopkins anyway.

"Sorry Chantelle, I didn't mean to piss you off…He's just becoming quite…Difficult to be around."

Sighing, Chantelle closed the book in front of her and relaxed against the chair, observing Pete with something like sympathy. "Well that certainly sounds like Jimmy. Look Petey; if you're not happy hanging round with him just make yourself scarce. Maybe he'll realise how much of an idiot he's being and apologise. I'm surprised he hasn't just yelled at me in the middle of campus yet, or attacked Johnny or something."

Pete sighed in response, choosing not to tell Chantelle that Jimmy was actually planning on taking on the Greasers within the next few days. The feud had been getting worse as the days went by, and Jimmy could barely enter the campus grounds without being threatened, jeered or ambushed by Greasers. The most recent of his injuries consisted of a large, shiny black eye courtesy of Norton after Jimmy had tackled Lucky to the floor.

Plus, he doubted whether Chantelle would do anything with this piece of information, whether she cared or not. As far as he could tell, Chantelle had completely washed her hands of Jimmy Hopkins for the meantime, not that Pete could actually blame her. Even though he wanted to follow her advice he could not just leave Jimmy on his own, not after the guy had continually helped Pete out of dangerous situations or simply provided him with some form of acceptance.

"Right I should get going," Chantelle added breaking the silence that had once more fallen over them both. Pete blinked stupidly as she got to her feet and began to pile the books she had taken from the shelves, on top of each other. "I'll see you later okay?"

Nodding his head, Pete continued to watch Chantelle as she picked up the stack of books and moved towards the shelves to put them away again. His eyes never left the back of her blonde head until she had left the library altogether, proceeding to give him a little wave on her way out.

Sitting in the quiet confines of the library, Pete had no intentions of leaving the place he considered to be a safe haven. True, he would have to make his presence known to Jimmy later on once he was back from running his errands, just so Jimmy could vent all his frustrations out on him…But wasn't that what friendship was about? Being there for someone, no matter what?

The fact that he was even contemplating Chantelle's advice made him feel like he was betraying Jimmy, and he knew that he could not just abandon him. But was that all it was? Was he just hanging around because Jimmy had accepted Pete the way he was? He had formed a friendship with him at the start of the year because he had nobody else and Gary Smith had turned out to be a psychotic lunatic…Yet now he had gained the respect of the Bullies and the Preps, and Jimmy was still confiding in _him. _Not in Trent or Derby, not in anyone else but him.

Unexpectedly, Petey felt a swooping sensation in the pit of his stomach has he drifted off into his thoughts and he straightened up in his seat and glanced around. It had been a strange feeling, something he hadn't felt before (or so he believed), and his face and neck felt extremely red. If there had been a reflective surface within distance he would have found that he was blushing scarlet.

Trying to distract himself, he drew the books closer to him and attempted to read once more.

* * *

Leaving the library, Chantelle did indeed feel sympathetic towards Petey having to put up with Jimmy's aggressive antics, and even though she wanted to help him out, she would not be the one to apologise to Jimmy. Within her own mind, she hadn't done anything wrong. Johnny Vincent had surprised her with a kiss, and Jimmy's jealousy had gone into overdrive. But when Jimmy had been all over Lola, giving her gifts, winning her races and making out, Chantelle hadn't gone off the handle at him. Yes she had warned him to stay away from her, but that wasn't from jealousy or envy, it was from true concern and worry, wasn't it?

Turning towards the Girl's Dormitory, her mind wandered even further. She had not heard from or seen Gary Smith in quite a while; or that was how it seemed to her. Had Johnny finally given the sociopath a beating? No…Surely he would have mentioned that, since he was trying to make it up to Chantelle in the first place by doing so.

So that meant he was simply biding his time. For all she knew, he could be watching her right now, planning his next move with that sly, sadistic smirk on his face. Chantelle stopped suddenly in her tracks, and glanced surreptitiously over her shoulder. Thinking like that was a sure way of creeping herself out, and as she continued walking she instinctively continued glancing back over her shoulder just in case.

There had been no particular reason why she had left the library other than the fact that she didn't want to talk about Jimmy and his stubbornness any further. Yes, her and Petey had other things in common, but more often than not they would just return to talking about him and each time, Chantelle would either brutally change the topic of the conversation, or cut it short altogether and leave in a hurry.

Yes she still cared about Jimmy, and she was still a little worried about him considering the injury he had been sporting to his eye, but with the way things were panning out recently, she had chosen to pretend not to. She had hoped that perhaps he would come to his senses, especially since Lola had blown him off for some other kid (much to Johnny Vincent's extreme annoyance), but he had seen her twice since that particular incidence and hadn't even looked at her, let alone apologised.

Chantelle had just reached the little intersection where she was to turn off to head towards the Girl's Dormitory when she heard her name being called out by a familiar voice. She turned around in time to see Bryce lightly jogging towards her with a broad and handsome smile playing across his face. Chantelle couldn't help but smile automatically back as he stopped in front of her,

"I have to admit you're very elusive when you want to be Chantelle," Bryce started, his smile never faltering as his eyes roved over her face, taking in every single detail as they went.

"Well you clearly haven't been looking thoroughly enough," Chantelle responded, raising her eyebrows with curiosity as her smile dissipated.

Bryce did not seem disturbed by this comment, and continued on like he had barely even heard her, "I've been trying to scope you out for the last couple of days now…And I understand your views on the Preps ever since…Well you know,"

Still looking less than impressed, Bryce's smile faded a little and he cleared his throat to try and clear up the awkward silence between them both.

"Well look I just wanted to see if you wanted to go and get something to eat, all on me of course. See how a girl should be treated in comparison to how that brute Hopkins reacted the other day…"

"I don't know if that's such a great idea, do you?" Chantelle interrupted, staring at him in something that resembled disbelief. Yes she was quite reasonably flattened by his proposal, but the fact that he seemed so nonchalant about the kidnapping ordeal, and with the fact that Parker would be less than impressed that she had decided to go out with another Prep, she couldn't help but feel it would be a little like betrayal on his account.

Bryce however, had returned to smiling again and he shook his head, "Now Chantelle, I wouldn't have asked you if I had assumed it would have been a bad idea? I understand you'll be having doubts, but believe me we aren't all like Derby Harrington. I assure you I didn't want to play a role in your kidnapping plan, hence the reason why you didn't see me hanging around in Harrington House for the duration of it. Unlike your dear Parker, I blatantly refused to agree to it and it almost resulted in me being booted from the House altogether."

Quite surprised at the revelation of this particular piece of information, Bryce could see that he had cracked Chantelle's defensive outer shell, very much to his glee. But Chantelle wasn't going to give in that easy, not when she had Parker's feelings to think about. Whether the guy still actually held feelings for her was a different matter entirely, but she wasn't completely heartless, nor did she want to gain a reputation within Bullworth Academy.

"And Parker is your friend and your little clique member, don't you care about what he's going to think about all this?" Chantelle retorted, watching the slight change in Bryce's facial expression with curiosity.

"Parker is over you Chantelle. If he wasn't, don't you think he would have been trying to catch you at every opportunity? Don't you think he would have tried to make at least some form of communication with you before now?"

At his response, Chantelle found herself temporarily speechless. She bit her lip unconsciously and averted his gaze as she processed his words. What he was saying was evidently correct; she had not heard from or even seen Parker since their initial parting of ways, but was that solely due to him being completely over Chantelle? Or was it because he was simply regarding their mutual decision to hold off on any potential relationship or friendship until she decided for herself whether he was worth it not?

Looking back up at Bryce, who now had the full and very handsome smile plastered across his face once more, Chantelle shook her head at his little date proposal. No, she did not believe a single word Bryce was saying about Parker unless it came from the Prep himself and even though Bryce had been so kind and gentle to her a week or so previous, she couldn't really state any obvious or meaningful feelings for him. She could probably be friends with him, if he wasn't so pompous and full of himself but being in an actual intimate relationship with him? It was something Chantelle could not see herself doing, especially since he would probably have the ability to drive her insane in a very short period of time.

"Look Bryce, you're sweet and apparently very generous but after all the stuff that's happened recently I'm really not looking for anything other than us being friends. Jimmy would probably have an aneurysm if he found me with yet another guy and I'm sure other people would be happy to continue spreading the rumours that I'm some kind of harlot with a habit of leading people on…And also, I don't believe a word you're saying about Parker either. So if you're so intent on lying to me about someone who is supposed to be your friend, then we'd have serious trust issues from the get go."

Turning away from the Prep and leaving him with an expression of someone who had just received a very hard, physical slap, Chantelle continued on towards the Girl's Dormitory without much feeling of satisfaction. What was it with the guys around here recently?

Bryce continued to stare after her, his expression darkening slightly. He would not give up on her, not as easily as that. Parker had not stated anything about Chantelle since he had abandoned Derby at the Glass Jaw during Jimmy's beat down, and that to him signalled that he was fully over the girl who was currently walking away from him. So in his eyes, he wasn't lying and he definitely would not give up until she gave him a chance and saw the truth for herself, after all she was the only decent and single girl on campus.

Chantelle continued onwards, completely oblivious to Bryce now and as she neared the steps leading to the dormitory, she was hastily stopped again and since she had been totally lost within her own thoughts, she almost jumped a mile when a hand pressed against her shoulder.

Thinking immediately that it would be Gary Smith ready to put whatever strange and sadistic plan he had into place, she took several steps away and as a consequence almost fell over the stone steps, causing her ankle to twist painfully beneath her.

The hand reached out again and steadied her, and Chantelle's eyes rested on its owner.

"Fuck Johnny, you scared the shit out of me! What are you doing hiding out near the Girl's Dormitory?" Chantelle said in exasperation as she straightened herself out and stretched the hurt ankle tenderly.

"Well I was waitin' for Lola 'cause it turns out that the little skank is at with some other random guy from the Vale," Johnny said, his temper flaring slightly as he mentioned his current girlfriend's name. "I wanted a word with her, see what she has to say y'know…"

Chantelle sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she examined the desperation and anger on his face, finding that once again, she had been rendered temporarily speechless. It would have been easy for her just to tell him to get over it, to leave Lola to her business and to just find someone new to put all his attentions on but using that tactic was one that would undoubtedly result in the Greaser losing his temper. Regardless of whether they had become close over the past few days or not, Chantelle knew that she didn't want to make him angry.

However, before she could even speak or offer her advice or sympathy, Johnny began talking again.

"Look Chantelle, how about you come down to the tenements tonight yeah? I got some information on your pal Gary Smith that you might wanna hear."

Completely taken aback but this sudden change of conversation, Chantelle stared at him for a few seconds, trying to understand why he would want to meet her there of all places, and why he couldn't just tell her right now whilst they were completely alone.

Almost as though he was reading her thoughts, Johnny smirked and shrugged his shoulders, "I'd tell you now but I got places to be Chantelle, people to see…People to beat, you know how it is. Just be there for around eight yeah? I should be back by then and I'll mention it to the others."

With that he gave her another smirk and walked away in a hurry, not even bothering to look back over his shoulder to give her a sly wink like he usually did.

Chantelle meanwhile, was completely nonplussed. What information could be so important, or so secretive, that he would make her head all the way down to New Coventry and enter the Tenements?

"Well it better be something bloody good," Chantelle murmured, thinking of the grief she would get from Lola by just being near the Tenements. Everybody knew it was strictly a Greaser's hangout, with Johnny and Lola practically living together in the premises, and now with her sudden appearance there? Well it wouldn't do the rumours any good that was for sure.

"Well this day certainly turned out to be eventful…" Chantelle started as she headed up the steps, her ankle still twinging slightly after the fright that Johnny had given her. "And yes talking to yourself is a completely sane thing to do," She added, giggling slightly before realising how truly crazy she would look to a potential passer-by.

Regaining herself, Chantelle shook her head and entered the Girls Dormitory, hoping that the meeting in the Tenements would run smoothly and that Lola would keep well away whilst she and Johnny were having their little discussion. She did not want to have another run in with her, especially since she was so adept at ambush and she certainly didn't appear to have any qualms at possible attempted murder either.


	35. The Tenements

**Author's Notes; **_So I changed my mind slightly on the content of this chapter, but hey a little bit of Johnny for you guys who wanted it. And welcome to the wonderful, complicated, angsty life of a teenager. Thank you for the reviews, favourites and alerts and I apologise for the long wait for the update. I had a Conservation assignment and a poster assignment to do over the Easter holidays. Anyway, reviews, criticism, opinions and ideas are always, ALWAYS welcome. Thanks in advance. Aaand I have no idea where to take the story after this, so give me some time to get a plan up and then obviously to write the content. Again, thanks :] _

* * *

**Chapter 35 – The Tenements**

Putting no special effort into her meeting with at the Tenements with Johnny, Chantelle left her dorm room after declining Christy's offer of accompanying her down to New Coventry. She had denied any sort of underlying thoughts that this meeting could be anything more than a discussion on Gary Smith and perhaps Jimmy Hopkins but still she felt bewildered, why couldn't he have just let her in on the news when they had been together earlier?

Leaving the dormitory altogether, she descended the steps and advanced towards the iron-wrought campus gates, and was quite startled when he heard a soft voice nearby. Turning towards it, she saw Ricky coming out of the premature shadows of the setting sun.

"I'm supposed to take you down to the Tenements Chantelle," Ricky said quietly, running a hand through his hair and looking quite positively awkward. Chantelle raised her eyebrows but chose not to question him; it was probably more for protection or assurance than anything else. Lola wouldn't think to question her if she was hanging around with Ricky owing to the fact that he was Christy's ex and Jimmy and Ricky still had a pretty stable friendship so surely he wouldn't believe she'd be having a secret fling with him too?

"Well that's very kind of you…" Chantelle finally responded, giving him a smile as she started walking through the gates. It was strange, usually she could strike up a conversation without problem but Ricky was slightly different. Usually whenever they bumped in to one another it was to talk about Christy or Jimmy, but now she didn't want to even mention Jimmy and Christy was happy with Davis and she doubted whether he would want to talk about her anyway.

"So, what's this private meeting between you an' Johnny about anyway?" Ricky asked, stuffing his hand absently in his pockets. "He didn't really mention much…"

Chantelle, being just as oblivious as Ricky shrugged, "He said he had something to talk about and he didn't have time to stick around…And that he didn't want people overhearing. Honesty I know as much about this as you. I just hope Lola doesn't end up strolling in and attempt to kill me again."

"Oh she'll be with her new guy; apparently he's got loads of money and is completely obsessed with her. She hasn't been near the Tenements in the last few days and we've all been told to tell her where to go if she bothers showing up. Either Johnny is playing hard to get, or he's finally getting over that tramp. Really, I hope it's the second option."

Nodding her head, Chantelle wondered whether that could actually be the case. When he had been talking to her earlier and standing outside the Girl's Dormitory waiting for her, he seemed furious at the fact that she had been cheating on him…But that had been exceptionally short lived when he had been talking to Chantelle. Was it just an excuse? Had he been hanging around waiting for her?

Usually Johnny would scope her out in the library or in the corridors after class in which he had seemingly memorised her entire timetable. But obviously, being in neither of those places he had evidently gone to the only other place he could think of, and had waited patiently for her…

No.

Surely his excuse about waiting to speak to Lola had been a valid one. Surely she was not _that _important to him, especially since all she talked to him about was Jimmy, Lola and some random crap that had no relevance or importance to any current matter, small-talk in other words.

"…doesn't seem too angry anymore,"

Chantelle blinked and turned to look at Ricky who had been in a full-blown conversation with a distracted Chantelle. She looked at him apologetically, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Lola always had a bad influence on Johnny, made him real aggressive and nasty to be around y'know? She treated him like shit all the time, and he just chased her like some helpless dog and yet he's supposed to be our leader!" Ricky shook his head, seemingly taking the lead and guiding Chantelle to the correct location of the Tenements. "I mean we all respect Johnny, always have…But seeing him so…So…What's the word," He trailed off and scratched the back of his head.

"Vulnerable? Weak?" Chantelle piped up, trying to focus her attention on the conversation at hand rather than lapsing into the deep depths of her own troubled thoughts again.

"Yeah I guess so. Hopkins picked up on that from the start, that's why he went for the tramp. Hit Johnny in the weak spot and get him to go all psycho and stuff." Ricky shook his head but this time Chantelle chose not to respond. She scarcely believed that Johnny needed much of a reason to lose his temper and cause a scene. He certainly had a temper on him, with a very short fuse too.

"Ey well we're here look," Ricky added quickly, looking nervously around in case he had spoken his opinions in the presence of other Greasers, or even Johnny himself. Ricky tried the door to the Tenements, only to find it locked. This didn't seem to perturb the Greaser as he started to root through the pockets of his leather jacket, leaving Chantelle standing back slightly, glancing anxiously over her shoulder. Truth be told, she didn't particularly like this neighbourhood, least of all at night. If ever there was a place for potential murderers and rapists it would be here. Sirens could be heard in the distance, briefly drowning out the screaming and yelling in a nearby building and when Ricky laid a hand on her shoulder she jumped a mile, her breath hitching temporarily in her chest.

"Woah…Didn't mean to scare ya Chantelle," Ricky said in shock, withdrawing his hand quickly and placing it awkwardly back at his side.

Chantelle shook her head, mentally cursing herself for being so stupid and jittery in the first place before ascending the uneven stone steps and walking through the door for her first and hopefully last visit to the Tenements.

"I'll catch you later," Ricky called out from behind her before closing the door and leaving Chantelle alone. She remained near the door for a few more minutes, taking into account her surroundings in the dim lighting. It was as she expected, dilapidated and shabby and the smell wasn't exactly pleasant either. Taking a few tentative steps forward, the floorboards underneath her creaked loudly with the silence seeming to only magnify the sound and making her feel even more nervous. It was quite obvious that Johnny was absent for the meantime, otherwise why would the door have been locked?

The idea that she was alone in this place made her simply want to turn tail and run, run all the way back to school without bothering to look back with the thought of never returning. To her it was like some old haunted house like on the television programmes and films that she used to watch when she was younger, only she used to laugh and mock them then…Now? Well this was very much real.

Chantelle did indeed turn back towards the door, fully prepared to leave. She would just find Johnny tomorrow and apologise for her absence, she would have plenty of time to come up with an excuse of some sort. Just as she reached the door however, the doorknob began to turn again and she quickly stepped back to avoid being hit. The next moment, the strong smell of cologne filled her nostrils, providing relief from the foul stench of rotten wood and damp. Johnny Vincent stood in the doorway looking immaculate, smirking at Chantelle as he closed the door behind him.

"Glad ya 'ere," Johnny said, unzipping his leather jacket and shrugging it off. He placed it on one of the old coat hooks hanging lopsided on the wall before turning back to Chantelle who was still stood silently in the corridor. She had absolutely no idea what to even say and her only response was to weakly smile back at him.

"Well, don't just stand there…C'mon." He muttered before he began to move through the Tenements. She followed him silently into something that could only be described as a bedroom, or perhaps a combination living area and bedroom. This area was a lot cleaner and nicer compared to the rest of the Tenements so far as Chantelle could tell, and it also smelt far better. The windows weren't cracked or boarded up, but covered with moth-eaten curtains instead and the only light was coming from a dull light fixture attached to the wall. Chantelle strolled into the middle of the room whilst Johnny once again closed the door behind him.

"So what's all this about then," Chantelle started, turning around only to see Johnny merely inches from her. Her surprise was apparent as she attempted to automatically take a step away from him but he caught her arm and pulled her closer instead. His other arm moved to her lower back with the intention of keeping her there.

For the second time that night, her breath hitched in her chest from a mixture of surprise and shock. His grip wasn't firm or tight, but gentle and tender as he held her close. Her eyes roved over his face, seeing see how perfect and unblemished his skin was, noticing the small strands of hair that had come loose from the copious amounts of gel and taking note of the exact colour of his eyes, even within the dim light.

All that was taken within only a few seconds before Johnny had pressed his lips delicately against hers. For the second time, she found herself incapable of pulling away, found herself enjoying the kiss. Chantelle lifted her hand and placed it against Johnny's upper arm, gently grasping him as he slowly grew more passionate.

Johnny placed his hands on Chantelle's waist and pushed her back, only breaking the kiss momentarily so he could see. Chantelle's back hit the wall quite hard, making her moan into Johnny's shoulder. This only made him smirk as he pulled her chin up so they could face one another, except it was no longer Johnny Vincent she was looking at.

It was Gary Smith.

Eyes widening, she tried to push herself away momentarily forgetting that she was practically pinned against the wall. Her palms pushed against his shoulders but of course he was far stronger, and far more determined. This entire scenario was forcibly reminding her of the intimate moment she had shared with Gary recently, and she closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to erase the mental image.

Lips pressed against hers once more with hands beginning to move greedily up from her waist. When she opened her eyes, she was relieved to see Johnny Vincent in his rightful place with the Tenements in the background but now something didn't feel right. Something felt out of place.

His lips moved from hers and trailed across her jaw before lowering down to her neck, his teeth bearing down on the skin gently making her back arch into him her nails now digging into Johnny's upper arms. His hands pushed the light jacket off her shoulders, allowing it to slip down to the floor and then proceeding to kiss along her collarbones and making her shiver in response. Johnny smirked once again before coming up to meet her lips once more.

Chantelle's own thoughts were disrupted in the intimacy, now wanting…No craving, more. She leaned in towards him, moving her arms around him and digging her nails into his back and dragging them down roughly. This time he moaned into her lips, and in response he aggressively grabbed her wrist and her threw her down on the makeshift bed. She gasped in surprise and managed to get herself on her elbows before he was bearing right down on top of her, his lips once more pressed firmly against her.

But once again, it wasn't Johnny Vincent looking down upon her it was Gary Smith and the Tenements had been replaced with Gary's room.

"No!" Chantelle called out, once more pushing Johnny Vincent away. She proceeded in slipping out from underneath him and falling to the floor instead. Her heart was pounding, almost as though she had been running a marathon, but she quickly shuffled away from Johnny who had turned to look at her in bewilderment. She simply averted her gaze and covered her eyes with embarrassment.

When she had control of her emotions, she slowly looked up to face Johnny who was now seated on the edge of the bed and sorting out his hair. He looked at her briefly, before looking away and choosing to stare at the wall instead.

"I'm sorry," Chantelle said timidly, getting to her feet and wiping her hands absently on her jeans. "It's not…It's not you I'm just…I don't think I'm ready and well…" Tears began to prick painfully behind her eyes and her throat threatened to close up.

Johnny looked back at her and she was glad to see no accusation or mockery in his expression, in fact he looked quite sympathetic and understanding. He got to his feet and approached her slowly, a little nervous that she would freak out again perhaps, but he embraced her all the same.

"Hey it's fine Chantelle," He said softly, resting a hand against her head and playing distractedly with the blonde strands of her hair and the other rubbing her neck gently. It was oddly soothing, just being stood that way when just moments ago they had been passionate and intimate but still she felt ashamed of herself. She had no idea why Gary had popped into her mind, not just once but twice. She had told herself time and time again that she didn't want him, that she wasn't in the slightest bit attracted to him but was it just all lies?

Well what just happened would point to that, and yet she was stood with someone who genuinely cared for her, who didn't play mind games or use her to screw up other people's lives and friendships…Well except for the whole Underpass scenario, but even that had been set up by Gary Smith.

"I don't want to be a rebound from Lola…" Chantelle said quietly, her head still resting against Johnny's shoulder. He stopped playing with her hair, and pulled his head back a little so that he could see her properly but she blatantly refused to show her face.

He let her go, allowing his arms to drop loosely to his sides before standing back and sitting down on the edge of the bed. Chantelle remained in the centre of the room with her arms folded and her head lowered. It wasn't exactly fair for her to put all the blame on Johnny, seeing as though Lola had been the least important factor in her mind. But what if she had just been someone for Johnny to use until Lola came crawling back? What if Gary had decided to pop into her mind and she had gone through with it? Wouldn't that just be proving Lola right?

Johnny himself had lapsed into his own thoughts, wondering briefly whether Chantelle was right. Yes he still felt something for Lola but the old infatuation and obsession had disintegrated and the thought that she was out with some other guy right now didn't strike the same furious aggression as before. But being with Chantelle made everything seem insignificant anyway, just hearing her voice made any anger he may have had, disappear. She was at the other extreme compared to Lola, innocent, caring, thoughtful, compassionate and sympathetic…Everything Lola wasn't.

"Lola doesn't even compare to you," Johnny said finally as he raised his head. However, his words had gone unheard since Chantelle was no longer standing there.

Getting quickly to his feet, Johnny left the makeshift bedroom and moved towards the entrance to the Tenements, only managing to catch Chantelle as she reached for the door to make her exit. He reached out and gently pulled her back by the wrist, and still she kept her head lowered to try and hide the tears coursing down her cheeks, hiding the redness of her eyes.

"Don't go…Chantelle, Lola doesn't come close to you. She's…She's nothing but a tramp y'know? You're so much better than her and I would've never used you like that,"

Shaking her head, Chantelle stepped away from him once more now completely unaware of her own feelings. Things had seemed a lot simpler before this whole thing had unfolded, still confusing yes but not completely messed up. And now she did feel hurt, hurt that he had to think about her words when it should have just come naturally to him if he had truly felt something for her.

Feeling quite hurt himself, Johnny continued to stare at Chantelle in something like desperation. All he wanted to do was to hold her and breathe in the flowery scent of her hair, to feel her thin, lithe body against his. And yet he had managed to ruin everything because of his mixed thoughts about Lola Lombardi, his tramp of an ex-girlfriend. He hesitated slightly, watching as she rubbed at her eyes roughly with the back of her hands before he finally stepped forward. Taking her hands, he moved them away from her face and then lifted her chin up. Her eyes still refused to meet his, but he used his thumbs to gently wipe the remainder of the tear tracks still glistening on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Chantelle," Johnny said softly, pressing his lips against her forehead and then letting her head lean delicately against his chest. "I'm an idiot I know, but…You mean more to me then that slut ever did and honestly I like you a lot, why dya' think I keep tryna find you everywhere and…And even at the Girl's Dormitory I wasn't waiting for Lola…"

Chantelle remained silent, but her tears had finally come to a stop. Her feelings were still a myriad of confusion and she didn't quite know what to think. She believed what Johnny was saying whole-heartedly but still she could not erase Gary from her mind. She had the option to choose between a sociopath with a strong desire to play mind games and to screw up people and their friendships or someone who genuinely cared about her. And yet head and heart were saying two completely different things.

"It's okay," She said finally, her voice slightly muffled by the jumper Johnny was wearing but he heard her all the same. He breathed a sigh of relief and held her more firmly against him. She reciprocated the embrace and wrapped her own arms around him but still things didn't seem completely right. After a few more minutes, they both broke apart and Chantelle finally looked up at him with a weak smile.

"I'm going to get back to the dorms before it gets too late." Chantelle said quietly.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? Or I could walk ya back?"

"No it's fine Johnny," She smiled at him and began to fix her hair a little, "I'll be alright but I'll see you tomorrow or something okay?"

Johnny nodded his head, smiling a little himself now. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him gently on the cheek before turning around and heading out of the Tenements.

Sighing, Johnny stared at the closed door with a confused and disappointed expression before heading back into the bedroom area. It was only when he was sorting out the bed did he notice that Chantelle had left her jacket. He picked it up and grimaced, the whole scenario had definitely not gone to plan and was a complete disaster compared to what he had ready in his mind and now that he was alone once more, he found her missing her incredibly.


	36. Finding Johnny

**_Author's Notes: _**_Sort of short I guess, but I wanted a bit of suspense (I bet people can guess who she goes to anyway..). More teen angst, more fighting the feelings and confusion, with some action thrown in. Enjoy..And don't forget to review and add in what you want to see or what you want more of. I try to cater to everyone's needs. Thank you!_

* * *

**Chapter 36 – Finding Johnny**

"You sleep like you're in a damn coma!"

Chantelle opened her eyes to see her best friend leaning over her, shaking her shoulders whilst looking reasonably concerned. Sitting up, she rubbed at her eyes blearily whilst Christy chose to seat herself on the edge of her bed already in the middle of some long-winded explanation of something that had happened.

"Christy…I didn't catch half of that. Will you slow down a little?"

The redhead turned to face Chantelle and sighed, rubbing at her temple as though she was already getting a headache.

"Johnny's gone missing Chantelle, Ricky is in a huge panic about it. Apparently a couple of the other Greasers went to the Tenements early this morning to find the door kicked in and there was a bit of a mess too and Vincent was nowhere to be found. It's not like him to just go and disappear, considering he had some business to sort out…According to Ricky anyway."

It took a few seconds for this information to penetrate through Chantelle's drowsy mind, but as soon as she registered it she became alert and attentive. She pushed the covers off her in haste and tried to get herself out of the bed and on to her feet, only proceeding to tangle herself up in the mess and fall out of bed instead. Christy aided her best friend by dragging aside the sheets, a shadow of a smile playing across her lips, temporarily forgetting about the current situation.

Finally, Chantelle got to her feet and without another second began to change out of her pyjamas and into something a bit more suitable and when she turned to get her jacket she found that Christy was already holding it out for her,

"You left that at the Tenements last night," Christy said as she raised her eyes curiously, "It was next to Jonny's bed apparently…Next to his own jacket, which is even more strange since he never goes anywhere without it."

"We'll talk about this later okay, right now we need to find out what's happened to him." Chantelle muttered, shrugging on her jacket and heading towards the door. Christy simply followed without another word, she was sure that Chantelle would give her the information she was seeking once they found Johnny.

"Ricky's waiting outside, he wants to talk to you." Christy informed as they descended the stairs of the dormitory, "You were the last person to see him Chantelle…"

Chantelle was sure that Ricky and the remainder of the Greasers would love to barrage her with questions and accusations but she didn't have time for that. She had an idea of where to turn to first, but finding the lead would be somewhat difficult. Chantelle had to seek out Gary Smith because her instincts told her that somehow, he was involved and this was where her sense of urgency arose. Gary could have done _anything _to Johnny…

Exiting through the doors, she saw Ricky's head snap in her direction and as she predicted he began to question her almost immediately, the tone of his voice sinking back into a flurry of undistinguishable words in the stereotypical Greaser's accent. Sighing in exasperation, Chantelle stopped in front of him and cut him off in a hurry,

"I don't know where Johnny is, or where he might be. When I left him he was still in the Tenements and he was perfectly fine. Now I have somewhere to be, and let's just hope that when I get back I know exactly where he is and why he got there in the first place." She interjected in a harsh, clipped tone before turning on her heel and marching off.

"Chantelle!" Christy called out, looking slightly perturbed by her friend's sudden and exceptionally aggressive outburst. She intended to follow her, to try and make some sense and perhaps demand where she was going but Ricky held her back with a shake of his head.

"Let's just see what happens eh? If she's got some sorta lead than she's pretty much our only hope of finding Johnny."

"She's keeping too many secrets for my liking." Christy said quietly, watching as Chantelle took a sharp left turn and moved to exit the campus of Bullworth. Ricky gave his girl a lingering, anxious look but chose not to comment.

* * *

Chantelle could only predict where Gary Smith would be hiding, after all he enjoyed seeing the chaos and confusion that his plans and plots enforced upon the people he manipulated or used for his own benefit. She set off at a fast pace, but by the time she reached the wrought iron gates she had begun to jog and then when she reached the bridge it was an all-out sprint.

She turned right after crossing over the bridge, intending to search the entirety of the Greasers hang-out should she have to, but there was no need for that.

Gary Smith stood in the alleyway opposite the dingy motel; his eyes had been searching the area, almost as though he had been _waiting _for her. That wouldn't surprise Chantelle in the slightest if proven to be true, but when he caught sight of her he moved further into the alley-way. Knowing that he wanted him to follow her, and knowing that she would do so he moved a little quicker so they would be out of both earshot and eye-sight of any passer-by's. Chantelle closed the gap between them quickly,

"What did you do!"

Gary Smith turned around slowly to face an irate Chantelle storming towards him. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her eyes were burning with aggression, but this only made the sociopath smirk with something like satisfaction. Even the appearance of a heavily bruised left eye did not distract Chantelle from the blunt anger she felt for Gary's latest stunt.

"I said, what the hell did you do!" Chantelle repeated in annoyance, but still he remained silent with that smug grin on his face, leaning casually against the brick building. Face contorted with rage, Chantelle pulled back her left hand and slapped Gary across his face with as much force as she could muster. This time Chantelle looked on with satisfaction as his head rocked back and he stumbled slightly, holding his cheek which was already glowing a vicious red against his tanned skin.

Still not feeling fully happy with her work, Chantelle pulled her arm back again ready for a second hit but Gary grabbed her wrist pulled her forward and quickly swapped their positions. He backed her up roughly against the wall, pressing his body against her, his fingers continually growing tighter around her wrist and making her wince.

"Now, now Chantelle, you should really learn to control that temper of yours," Gary murmured into her ear. She struggled against him, but he pushed her shoulder back with her free hand and left it there, so her struggling simply became more futile.

Even though her slap had been incredibly painful and was still glowing on his skin, Gary chose to ignore it, as there were now more pressing and…Entertaining matters at hand. However, Chantelle's face was not full of the usual fear or distress that he had become associated with but her anger would suffice for now.

"You need to learn to keep out of other people's business," Chantelle snapped back, trying to wrench her wrist from his grip. She could feel every finger digging in to her delicate flesh, undoubtedly already causing contusions. With his eyes boring in to hers, Chantelle found herself shifting her gaze away from steel blue depths but being so close to him it was proving to be quite difficult.

"Chantelle, you _are_ my business." He said shortly, causing her constant struggling to seize, if only for a moment.

"Johnny didn't do anything," Chantelle said quickly, trying to cover up the brief moment of confused silence that had formed between them, and Gary only chuckled but it did not quite reach his eyes and the expression flattened almost immediately after.

"You were with him last night Chantelle, he dared put his hands on you…Again. He's crazy…He's mental to even go near you! And we all know where crazy people go…" Gary snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously. She hadn't seen him look this threatening in quite some time, and that old familiar feeling of anguish began to flare up once more. "He had to be dealt with Chantelle; no-one is allowed to have you. Not Jimmy, not Johnny…No-one!"

"That isn't up to you!" Chantelle called out, taking advantage of Gary's irrational thought processes to finally pull her wrist from his slackened grip and shove him away from her. "Johnny doesn't deserve to be fucked about with! He certainly doesn't deserve to be in that place!"

Moving as quickly as she could, she tried to reach the sidewalk so she could be out in the public and away from the dangerous sociopath but of course he was far more agile than she was and he had snatched at her arm before she could go even a couple of steps.

"Just stop!" Chantelle called out, both fear and anger fighting to best the other as she was forced round to face him again. "You do NOT own me, I am NOT yours! Stop fucking with my head Gary!"

Furious tears began to prick in her eyes and she quickly lowered her head, strands of her blonde hair falling into her face. Gary watched her silently, taking note of the glistening eyes and the pink blush creeping up her cheeks, vibrant against the pale porcelain skin. He observed the way she dropped her head to her chest to hide the tears that were threatening to fall, and the way her blonde hair flowed like silk to obscure her face.

Lifting a hand, he pushed the soft strands back away from her face and tucked them gently behind her ear. She cringed away from his touch, turning her head away from him and taking several quick steps back before feeling the solid brick wall once more. He followed her and raised his hand once more but she slapped it away aggressively,

"Don't touch me." Chantelle responded coldly, her head finally lifting so that their eyes met once more, the angry tears now dissipated, but Gary merely shrugged as a smirk spread across his face.

"You didn't mind last time…"

"That was a mistake." She said bluntly, her eyes narrowing dangerously, "You were a mistake and it certainly won't happen again. I'm free to do whatever I want, and see whoever I want Gary. It is _not _up to you! And now I'm going to get Johnny out of that damn asylum because he doesn't deserve to be there. You do!"

She shoved past Gary and instinctively moved her arms and wrists out of his reach and hurried away from the alleyway, moving fluidly into a quick jog. She could hear him calling out her name as she moved faster, running straight out into the middle of the road.

There was a long, loud drawn out beep that made Chantelle's heart seemed to stop in her chest as she turned towards the source of the noise. The vehicle stopped just inches short of her, and her eyes stared at the windshield as though it was some strange apparition. Her mind had gone completely blank and her brain could not seem to comprehend the mass of shouting and noise that she could hear.

"Chantelle!"

The driver had already started scrambling out of his car, undoubtedly with the intention to give her a lecture on road safety or something else just as ridiculous but before he could round on her, a hand had gently taken her hand and dragged her away from the road and towards the Underpass on the safety of the pavement. Chantelle caught sight of a flash of red as her attention finally moved away from the fact that she could have been seriously injured by that car, to the person who was steering her along.

"Christy?"

Her best friend stopped abruptly and turned on Chantelle, looking flustered and aggressive,

"What the hell are you playing at? Do you want to get killed or something! Why did you just go running out into the road like that? And why were you even in that alleyway in the first place?"

Question after question kept rolling of Christy's lips, some of which she continuously repeated and Chantelle could only assume that her best friend was also in some form of shock, one that just made her seem to run on a loop. Finally Chantelle cleared her throat, cutting through Christy's continuous monotonous monologue,

"I was in a rush, I know where Johnny is and I just…Started running. He's at Happy Volts, Christy. He's at the bloody mental asylum and we need to get him out. That place is enough to make any sane person lose it within a few hours…Well so I've heard."

"Happy Volts?" Christy questioned, temporarily oblivious to the fact that Chantelle had purposely ignored her last question, "But what's he doing there?"

"Someone rang the orderlies obviously. Look we don't have time for this; we need to get Johnny out there right now."

"And how do you propose we do that Chantelle? We can't just go storming in there making demands for his release. It doesn't work like that."

Chantelle stopped for a second to think, something which she had neglected to do since she had come face to face with Gary. Her mind had become a muddled mixture of emotions and broken memories as well as rising temptation and desire and everything logical or rational had decided to erase itself from her mind. But now she was with Christy, things were starting to piece itself back together, and now they needed to formulate some plan to break Johnny out of the asylum.

"We're going to need some help."

"Well I know the Greasers will be up for helping, Johnny is there leader after all…"

"No. Not them…They're too irrational and will probably break straight through the front doors."

"Then…Who?"

"Come on…"

Taking Christy's wrist, Chantelle turned in the opposite direction, heading back up towards Bullworth Academy, having just one person in mind. Ignoring the irate driver who was still yelling words of aggression, they hurried onwards. As they passed the alleyway, her head turned automatically towards it and noted that it was now completely empty. Christy noted this small attentive turn of her best friends head, and noted it in the back of her mind, planning to corner Chantelle and have a serious conversation once this little ordeal was over.


	37. Battleground

_**Author's Notes; **I'm so sorry for the long wait for an update! I've been insanely busy, and I've not really had much time to write anything other than my dissertation, reviews and essays. Anyway, here's a long chapter to keep you entertained until my next update and I hope you enjoy it all the same. Please feel free to share your opinions/views and whatever else you might want to see more of in future. Thanks!_

* * *

**Chapter 37 – Battleground**

"So where exactly are we going?" Christy asked as they crossed across the bridge in haste with Chantelle slowly picking up more and more speed as they advanced. Christy eventually had to start into a jog to keep pace with her best friend who was still being mildly secretive. They could have broken Johnny out of the asylum with the rest of the Greasers with some quick planning and yet Chantelle insisted on not getting them involved at all? What was she supposed to tell Ricky? She found it difficult to lie to him about anything, let alone the whereabouts of his clique leader. Plus he always had ways of finding out she was lying in the first place…

Chantelle came to a halt at the gates of the Bullworth campus and Christy stopped just inches short of her, narrowly avoiding an undoubtedly painful collision.

"We don't have time; just make sure Ricky doesn't get wind of where Johnny is okay? We need to get Johnny out with as little conflict as possible."

"Who's to say that they would go in all guns blazing? If we just talked to them, get a plan of some sort y'know, allow them to create a distraction and then…"

"Please Christy," Chantelle said, turning to Christy with a look of genuine pleading. This entire situation had been all Chantelle's fault for getting involved with Johnny in the first place, allowing Gary's jealousy or ridiculous beliefs to get him locked up in the asylum. If she had stayed with him, perhaps things might have been different; she could have stopped Johnny from losing his temper. This was her fault, she needed to fix it and she definitely didn't want the Greasers causing a scene and undoubtedly getting the police involved.

"Stop leaving me out of all this Chantelle," Christy snapped suddenly, her face flaring up with anger, "I'm your best friend damn it and I deserve to know what's going on…I want to help!"

"I messed things up alright! It's my fault that Johnny's locked up in the Asylum and I need to get him out of there without causing a massive scene! We don't need the cops involved in all of this as well; it's bad enough as it is!"

"Yeah well the Greasers believe that this is all down to the Preps and you know how they despise each other. If you want to do this in secrecy then all hell is going to break loose Chantelle!" Christy responded in exasperation, trying to get her friend to understand the seriousness of the situation.

"Well whilst I'm stood around talking to you this thing is dragging on longer than necessary. I'm sorry Christy just…Just try and distract the Greasers or something, make up an excuse and make Ricky understand. I don't want a riot to be on my hands as well, we can try and diffuse the situation and…I need you to help me. Just do that for me okay, I'll be back soon." Chantelle responded quietly, managing a small, forced smile before turning on her heel and hurrying away.

Christy watched Chantelle leave and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. She was getting quite agitated, always being left in the dark whilst Chantelle seemed to be sneaking around behind her back. Once this ordeal was over, she would demand Chantelle to inform her just exactly what was going on and wouldn't allow her to leave until everything was out in the open. Christy herself had to confide in Chantelle about some of the difficult things she had been going through, so why exactly couldn't her friend do the same?

Folding her arms and feeling rather sullen, Christy began to walk. She had a feeling that Ricky hadn't stayed put, and was probably running around New Coventry with the other Greasers searching and calling for Johnny but she would do as her friend asked. She turned to the left and exited the Bullworth campus once more, her mind a blur of thoughts and emotion, so much so that she barely registered her name being called out. It was only when the perpetrator was standing directly in front of her did she snap out of her semi-trance like state.

"Christy thank god…Where's Chantelle?"

"Ricky?" Christy started, looking temporarily surprised, her bad mood briefly forgotten, "What? What's happened?" She continued hurriedly, a frown creasing her forehead as she noticed how riled up Ricky seemed to be.

"It's the Preps Christy; they've started an all-out war in the middle of New Coventry because Hal and Norton wrecked that old boxing gym. They were thinking that they had Johnny…It's crazy; I had to make sure you were alright after you went after Chantelle." Ricky spoke in a hurry, small beads of perspiration already standing out on his face making it glisten in the hazy sunshine.

"Chantelle's already gone to try and find Johnny…She told me to come and find you, to try and distract the Greasers so they don't do anything stupid. Looks like I'm too late," She muttered, running a distracted hand through her hair.

"You got that right, look you need to find Chantelle and you need to keep her away from New Coventry for a while alright? All hell has broken loose and we're not just talking about fist-fights. It's a war zone down there." Ricky placed his hands gently on her shoulders and pulled her in for a rough kiss before turning away from her. Christy's hands automatically shot out and gripped Ricky's upper-arm firmly and forced him back to face her.

"You're not going back there are you?"

"Of course I am Christy I can't let them get away with this crap! I'm sorry, I can't just leave my pals to fight this out alone…We need as many out there as we can and since Johnny is away, well…"

Knowing that there would be no way to persuade him otherwise, Christy relinquished her grip and resigned to simply watch him leave, just as she allowed Chantelle to do so just moments ago. Once again she felt very much out of the loop and out of the action.

Standing quite still, and quite alone Christy vowed to change all that.

* * *

"I need your help." Chantelle said softly,

"Well isn't that just tough."

Chantelle sighed and watched the male's hands work on the bike that he was fixing up, noting the fact that he had not even bothered to look up at her. She leaned against the wall of the garage and stared at the back of his head with contempt.

"Jimmy this is important,"

Finally stopping what he was doing, Jimmy Hopkins turned his head up to face Chantelle with a look of measured anger, "What because it involves your _boyfriend_?"

"More because it involves Gary Smith, but unfortunately Johnny got dragged into this mess. And just to reiterate, he is _not_ my boyfriend…Not that this is the time to be discussing that."

Chantelle knew exactly what to say to pique his interest, because anything that involved a chance to get his hands on Gary Smith, or to otherwise wreck the sociopath's plans was something worth doing.

However, Jimmy Hopkins was still decidedly playing the hardball and being, as a blunt term for it, an asshole. "Look whatever the hell you've done now Chantelle isn't my damn problem." Jimmy responded coldly, shifting his position slightly so that he could lean down and observe the chain on the bike.

"Well I reckon it is since the Preps and the Greasers are going to be tearing strips from one another down in New Coventry if this situation isn't resolved, and Gary Smith is going to be there with that sadistic grin on his face watching as the cliques completely fall apart. He isn't going to be satisfied until they're all seriously injured or locked up and out of his way…And you know who he's going to blame it all on? You."

This last part wasn't true, not even in the slightest…Or not that she knew anyway, but Chantelle was attempting to improvise and she had a feeling that him getting all the blame for an all-out brawl that could have some serious repercussions, was the only way to get him moving. Indeed, Jimmy's hands stopped moving across the arid, rusted chain and his head seemed to sink to his chest almost in exasperation. Chantelle waited patiently for Hopkins to say something, to at least get up and take some form of action but still he remained seated on his ass without saying a single word.

"Jimmy please, I need your help on this, think about it. You help Johnny out of this situation and you prove to him that you're not just some new scummy kid that tries to cause shit between the cliques in the school. You don't do anything at all and he's going to see the exact opposite, and so will everybody else because Gary would have gotten his way…Again."

This finally seemed to do the trick; Jimmy finally got slowly to his feet and picked up the bike. Chantelle tried not to grin, but she felt elated all the same as she watched him stow the bike in the garage and come out with one that looked brand new and another that he had been riding for quite some time

"Well…What are you waiting for?" Jimmy asked, jabbing his thumb at the brand new bike, "Get on."

* * *

Jimmy decided to take the quieter, scenic route to Happy Volts Asylum by using the dirt-path laid out for them behind the library. True he had to ask for the key from the Nerds, and in return owed them a huge favour, but at least they didn't have to find out that the Preps and the Greasers had already started their little gang war, and thus didn't have much else to worry about on the way there.

After going through the final tunnel and stopping just short of the road, Chantelle dismounted her own bike and cautiously approached the chain-link fence to observe the situation. Jimmy followed a few moments later after hiding his bike in some shrubs, and the two of them stood in silence.

"The orderlies are going to be the only problem," Jimmy muttered as he watched one of them in the distance, completely clad in white and even fitted with a doctor's face-mask, turn the corner. "I doubt the patients can even recognise who's who in there, but if I can get one of them to cause a scene of some sort it would make it easier to get inside."

He glanced sideways at Chantelle who was slowly nodding her head, trying to think of some way she could cause a scene herself without being seen herself. She thrust her hands inside her pockets and pulled out a few prank items she had been collecting for such a time as now. Extending her hands, it was noted that she had a single stink-bomb, a single firecracker and a handful of marbles.

"The stink-bomb," Jimmy started, smirking appreciatively, "That will work, just make sure to aim for the middle of the courtyard, it seems to be where everyone congregates. Now I just need to find a way in…Wait for my signal."

Chantelle nodded her head and followed him slightly so she was past the guard-box and hidden behind a tree. Jimmy continued quickly, jogging along the muddy path and trying to find a more suitable way into the area. Chantelle's eyes never left Hopkins as he finally found a climbable tree, mounting it with very little effort and then swung off one of the branches that crossed over the fence and landed lightly. It was more difficult to see him now that the chain-link was in the way, but his wave was unmistakable even from the angle she was at.

Stepping back a little, Chantelle took aim with the stink-bomb before launching it with all the force her left arm could muster. She missed her target, but not by much and the reaction was just as she had hoped; the little glass bomb smashed just a few metres from one of the insane patients and his reaction was tumultuous. The resounding tinkle of broken glass startled him and he let out a piercing scream that made the birds on the nearby trees take flight just as Chantelle ducked for cover behind the guard-box. Jimmy waited patiently, watching the scene unfold before his eyes.

The other patients, having either heard the glass smashing or the ululating scream, began to lose the steady calmness that their drugs and pills induced. They began to aggregate together, letting out various screams or in some cases, strings of curse words in a continuous cacophony of noise. The cloud of offensive green gas gave Jimmy some visual cover as the orderlies began to move around the courtyard to calm the patients down giving Jimmy the perfect opportunity to enter the building.

She saw him jolt towards the doors, wrench one open and slip inside and that was all she knew for the next fifteen minutes as she crouched behind the guard-box. The only thing she had to watch was the hilarious attempts of the orderlies to try and calm the spooked patients down, ushering them towards the doors and undoubtedly back to their 'rooms'. But her eyes continuously moved towards the doors, awaiting Jimmy's and hopefully Johnny's return.

The minutes seemed to stretch on and on, and Chantelle shifted into a more comfortable position just as the alarm began to sound; her heart seemed to skip a beat and she automatically got to her feet ready to flee the area. Placing a hand across her chest to try and calm her nerves, she peered around the guard-box for the hundredth time and saw that the patients had gone all out crazy again. One man had started running around in circles screaming 'fire' with his hands over his head, causing further panic and fear in the others.

Now the orderlies were split on their decision; should they remain outside to try and keep the patients under control and thus unharmed or enter the building to find the cause behind the alarm?

This was exactly the scene that Jimmy needed, and perhaps he had intentionally set the alarm of himself…Or maybe it had happened because he had freed Johnny from his cell, either way it had a very desirable effect. Chantelle stood impatiently now, waiting for them to make an appearance and once again time seemed to stretch on for an eternity.

Finally, Jimmy reappeared but didn't seem to be in any rush at all. He had somehow obtained a full set of orderly scrubs and was trying to blend in with the rest of them. Johnny Vincent was behind them and Chantelle felt a genuine smile cross her lips; from this distance they did indeed look just like an ordinary orderly and patient duo. The two of them had undoubtedly had a conversation before leaving the building because Johnny had suddenly adopted a bit of a tremor and was apparently babbling some nonsense.

The two reached the chain-link fenced in which a tree had been randomly planted and they climbed it with ease, still without being noticed by the highly distracted orderlies and it was only when their feet were planted firmly on the other side did Chantelle feel relief.

"Chantelle?" Johnny said in confusion as he caught sight of her. Now that he was in close range, Chantelle could see just how badly he had taken the place even if he had only been a few hours. His complexion was exceptionally pale and the bags under his eyes had grown darker and deeper making him look rather sunken. However, once he had seen her his eyes lit up and everything seemed to resort back to its former self pretty much instantly.

A smile broke out across his lips and he grabbed her roughly, pulling her into an embrace. Chantelle blushed furiously, knowing that Jimmy would likely disapprove of this sudden sign of affection and she quickly broke it up. "Are you alright? I'm sorry it's my fault you ended up in there," She muttered, lowering her head to avoid his gaze.

Jimmy passed the two of them without a word and began to extract his bike from the thistles and brambles of the shrubs, his face like thunder. Johnny completely dismissed what Chantelle had to say and walked towards Hopkins instead; standing there in the middle of the road watching the guy who just broke him out of an Asylum, Johnny tried to think of some way he could thank him, he definitely wasn't used to this kind of thing. He definitely hadn't expected Hopkins to be the one who got him out of there either, but he supposed Chantelle had something to do with it…But as far as he knew the two of them weren't even on speaking terms. Funny how things could suddenly change…

"Thanks for getting me out Jimmy,"

Finally getting his bike from the shrubs without scratching himself too much, Jimmy raised an eyebrow at Johnny but took his gratitude regardless.

"How did you get in there anyway?"

Chantelle had neglected to inform him just how Johnny had managed to get himself locked away, and she approached the two of them slowly from her position behind the box.

"I just…I went a little crazy. Some shit got said that's all,"

Tactful; Chantelle couldn't help but feel a hell of a lot more respect and gratitude towards Johnny Vincent.

"Well I can believe that," Jimmy shrugged as he mounted his bike placed a foot on the pedal.

"Yeah well I'll see you around; I gotta get back to New Coventry before all hell breaks loose. The guys don't do so well without me givin' them orders."

"Yeah…Well have fun with that. I'll ride back to town with you, got some business to deal with down in old town anyway," Jimmy started, thinking back to what Chantelle had said about Gary Smith just waiting for things to blow out of proportion. If she was correct, then he would assume that the sociopath would be down in New Coventry now waiting for the serious shit to go down.

Johnny didn't think to disagree, and he mounted the bike Chantelle had arrived on instead. Jimmy didn't look too impressed with this, but he did not voice his opinion, nor did he say anything when Chantelle automatically seated herself on Johnny's bike and snaked her arms around his waist although there was a brief shadow of dislike etched on his face before it relaxed and became stoic once more.

Without another word, Jimmy began to pedal towards the Blue Skies industrial site and then on to New Coventry whilst Johnny waited for him to gain a decent head-start before turning his head and giving Chantelle a gentle kiss before following suite.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach New Coventry and with absolutely no idea that the Preps and Greasers were already at one another's throats, the scene laid out in front of them left Johnny, Chantelle and Jimmy temporarily speechless.

Sirens were blaring in the distance, intermingling with the screaming and yelling. Broken glass and debris lined the pavements and there wasn't a single car moving in the vicinity; most had just simply been abandoned. It wasn't hard to see why, with their windows smashed up, covered in black soot or pelted with eggs they had either been caught in the crossfire or the students had simply directed their anger and fury at them. The adults could not control the rebels, not even the authorities had had much success and so instead of hanging around and undoubtedly getting in the way they had fled the scene and hid.

"This is…" Johnny started, realising he didn't have any words to accurately describe the damage they had just come to face. The clique leader shook his head in disbelief and ran a hand distractedly through his hair.

"We need to find out what the hell happened here," Chantelle said quietly, whilst Jimmy discarded his bike and began to wander around the area but at her words he scoffed and shook his head,

"Isn't it obvious? The eggs are the Preps weapon of choice…So to speak. The feud just got a lot fucking worse and it's because of him and his little disappearing act,"

Chantelle, who had been waiting for some sort of outburst from Hopkins, turned back to face him with an expression of anger. This was far from being Johnny's fault, if the Greasers hadn't been so hot-headed and hadn't gone looking for trouble this wouldn't have happened….If anything, this was her fault once again. She had outwardly refused to allow Christy to inform Ricky of Johnny's true whereabouts and had probably initiated the entire thing. Yes Chantelle could have easily have diffused the entire situation and this all-out war between two cliques would not have happened, but then she would have had to explain how she knew where Johnny was. Gary had certainly played this particular game well.

Johnny however, could not keep his thoughts and opinions to himself and his temper had been aggravated by Jimmy's accusations, "Yo kid, I didn't ask to be put in that place! I was set-up and cartered away like some mad horse or somethin'"

"Jimmy I already explained this thing to you," Chantelle said shortly, trying to diffuse the situation before it had even begun.

"Yeah well I broke your damn boyfriend out of the Asylum so don't go expecting anymore favours Chantelle. I'm not gonna go tame the Preps and tell them off for starting some fucked up turf war, you can sort that out yourself. All I want right now is to find Gary and knock some sense into his psychotic head."

"Jimmy please…"

"Johnny! Hey Johnny!"

All three of them turned on the spot at the sound of the yelling and saw Ricky heading towards them looking a little worse for wear and to Chantelle's surprise and dismay; Christy was hot on his heels. The only thing she could feel relieved about was that she appeared unscathed and unhurt,

"God I'm glad to see you!" Christy said with a smile before quickly hugging her friend, "I was worried that you'd gotten yourself into the middle of all this shit. The Preps moved towards the skate-park and the Greasers went crazy, it's like hell in there. I tried to drag Ricky away by saying you broke him out but…"

She gave Ricky a sideways glance but he was too preoccupied with discussing something in great deal with his clique leader. Jimmy was still standing at the side of his bike looking very much out of place, but still actively searching the area obviously expecting Gary to just walk out and reveal himself.

"We're gonna go down to the skate-park," Ricky piped up whilst Johnny collected his bike. "We need to sort this trust-fund babies out, there's no way we're gonna let them fuck up our hang-out. You two are gonna stay here and keep yourself out of trouble aight? What about you Jim, you in?"

Jimmy remained silent for a few seconds, obviously having some internal debate with himself; He didn't want to get involved with in a war against the Preps and the Greasers since it wasn't his fight and yet Gary Smith could be waiting there for Johnny's return, ultimately knowing that Chantelle would have had some kind of plan formulated to break the Greaser out…Finally, realising that the attraction to beat the shit out of Smith was stronger than not getting involved at all and simply itching to get into a fight after the crap he had to endure between Jimmy and Chantelle, he shrugged and mounted his bike.

"Let's get this over and done with, shall we?"

* * *

After around ten minutes of waiting around near the bridge to Blue Skies industrial, and being too anxious to actually have much of a conversation with one another, Chantelle and Christy finally got too impatient to wait any longer.

"I want to see what's going on," Christy started, finally stopping the increasingly annoying pacing and turning to Chantelle instead. Her arms were folded defensively over her chest, almost expecting her friend to shoot her down and force her to wait for the males to return. However, Chantelle's response was the complete opposite;

"Just what I was thinking…Surely things would have been resolved by now?"

Christy simply shrugged her shoulders, not bothering to think about whether it was or not. She only wanted to make sure Ricky was okay whilst Chantelle wanted to see whether Jimmy or Johnny had gotten hurt…And whether Gary Smith had made an appearance.

So the two of them walked quickly towards the skate park, not really taking note of how the streets seemed to be void of people, well apart from the odd police officer running ragged or driving by in their vehicles with the sirens blaring. As they came ever closer, the noise in the vicinity began to change. Shouts and yells were becoming more pronounced; it seemed the fight had spilled outside the park and this was evident when some Preps came sprinting away from the tracks, headed straight for the bridge.

A few seconds later, Peanut came chasing after them on a bike pedalling like crazy. Christy grabbed Chantelle quickly by the wrist and stopped her from going any further,

"I don't think we should go any further…"

"Watch out!"

Jimmy shoved the girls roughly aside as a firecracker span past them, hitting the wall and exploding with impressive force behind them. Chantelle cursed loudly, but her voice was drowned out by the long stream of screaming and yelling. Jimmy grasped her wrist and steadied her, just as Gary Smith (who had unseated an escaping Prep with a clothesline from his bike) went speeding by them, followed by Johnny Vincent just mere seconds later, hot on his tail.

"Jimmy, the bike!" Chantelle called out suddenly, pulling her wrist free from his grip and grabbing the bike nearest to her. Jimmy, who had focused all his attention upon Vincent and Smith, barely even registered the words that Chantelle had just spoken. He turned his head back towards her and noticed the handlebars gripped in her hands. With a smirk, he quickly mounted the bike and appeared to be waiting for her to get on the back. Wasting no time, Chantelle hopped on and placed her arms around Jimmy's waist,

"Ricky's inside, I think he got hit with something," Jimmy started, not waiting to see Christy's eyes widen with fear, before pedalling away quickly.

"Hold on Chantelle, they're going towards the train-yard and it can get a bit…Rough,"

Instantly, Jimmy felt Chantelle's arms snake more firmly around his waist and he felt it safe enough to hasten his pedalling like a crazed lunatic. Sirens began to blare in the distance, and Chantelle caught sight of the red and blue flashing of the police finally drawn to hopefully try and stop the Greasers and Preps from pretty much killing each other.

Jimmy paid no heed to the police; his attention was firmly set upon Gary Smith, whom he was still tailing very closely. Gary appeared to know exactly where he wanted to be and he suddenly changed direction, now going down a back alley. Johnny's clique was beginning to follow suite now, abandoning the fight against the Preps to back up their leader instead. Chantelle could hear their voices close behind them, but she didn't dare shift in the seat in case it caused Jimmy to lose his balance.

Her attention was quickly drawn away from the others however, when she heard Jimmy's exasperated yell of 'oh shit'. He applied the brakes of the bike and went skidding in the mud causing Chantelle to lose her balance and stumble off the back landing heavily on the ground and knocking the wind right out of her. There was some jeering and yells of anger and then a stream of cold laughter as she tried to get back to her feet, with pain searing in her low back and sides.

"Jimmy?" Chantelle finally called out, wiping the dirt off her hands and then her face.

There was no response.


	38. Crave

**Author's Notes;** _Nice quick update for everyone who has been reading and thank you for those who have reviewed this far. I've had a lot of requests for some more Gary x Chantelle action (among other things) so I thought I might as well honour that! Enjoy this chapter and as always please offer me any opinions, advice, suggestions, requests to help me out! I can't promise that the next few updates will be as quick as this one I'm afraid but I'll try my best. Also, there's a new poll on my page that I'd love for you guys to respond to! Enjoy_**_  
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**Chapter 38 – Crave**

"Jimmy?" Chantelle called out again, automatically wiping off the dust and mud from her jacket. Feeling slightly concerned and believing that Jimmy had taken a worse spill than her and had probably broken his neck or something, Chantelle began to follow the tire tracks in the mud. The one thing she could feel relieved about was that there were no sudden perturbations; Jimmy must have regained his balance and kept himself upright so no accidents thus far. However as she walked over the small hill and reached the gates to the old junkyard, she saw his bike laying at the front abandoned.

Now that she was a little closer, she could properly identify the jeering and taunting of people on the other side as well as cold laughter and the sound of smashing glass. Frowning and having a sense of increasing urgency, Chantelle attempted to open one of the rusted, steel gates. Throwing her full weight behind her, she pushed against the metal with her shoulder and felt it budge ever so slightly. She doubted whether the Greasers or Jimmy would even hear her attempts at trying to move the rusted metal, not when they were all yelling and jeering so jubilantly.

Chantelle repeated the shoulder bashing a few more times until finally the gate came free, moving away from the other to form a slight crack in which she could just slip through.

Before she could enter through the gates however, a hand took hold of her wrist and drew her right back out again. Chantelle was far too riled up to be shocked or surprised, instantly jerking her wrist out of the perpetrators hand and attempting to slide through the gates a second time. In her haste, she bumped into the other stiff steel gate causing it to groan and creak stridently but the Greasers attention were firmly on Jimmy who was now attempting to hit them with his slingshot whilst Johnny continued to bike around with a baseball bat slung across his shoulder.

Again, Chantelle was forcefully dragged back but this time it was by the hood of her jacket. When she endeavoured to put up some resilience, hands clung painfully tight to her shoulders and drove her back against the one gate that she had been incapable of shifting alone. With the clanging of the metal and the grinding of hinges, Chantelle finally paid heed to the individual in front of her. Her aggression suddenly took a temporarily leave,

"Gary?"

Of course it was Gary, who else could it be? He was always around when things took a turn for the worse, and of course had had been at the forefront of the bike chase which had been initiated by him. And now suddenly, he had managed to manipulate the situation between Johnny and Jimmy and turn them against one another; turn them away from their shared cause of beating some sense into the sociopath and started fighting each other instead.

Gary's lips curled up into a sneer as his fingers dug themselves even deeper into her shoulders, and Chantelle was sure that he would pierce her skin and draw blood should he continue. Even though she had felt intimidated by him on numerous occasions, his attitude and his sadistic expression panicked her more than ever before. With a heightened sense of urgency, Chantelle began to struggle away from him, throwing her hands repeatedly against his chest and tugging backwards. The hinges of the gate groaned again as the gate began to give way slightly, but still the laughter and the jeering continued without pause.

"Stop it Chantelle," Gary started, his voice deathly calm and only proceeding to unnerve Chantelle even further. Indeed, for some bizarre reason she stopped writhing against him and just slumped against the gate in a defeated fashion. The grip upon her shoulders loosened in response but the thought of fleeing was far from Chantelle's mind as she continued to gaze at him anxiously, his expression was unsettling as his head slowly tilted to the side as though he was examining her. His lips were stretched into a leer; his eyes were shifting swiftly from side to side as they roved all over Chantelle and now that she had stopped fighting, she could feel his hands trembling on her shoulders.

"Gary let me go." Chantelle said gently, staring directly into his eyes with a sense of pleading. Whatever internal battle was going on inside his head, Chantelle didn't want to be a part of the consequences. It was obvious that he wasn't completely himself, perhaps he had stopped taken his medication again, or maybe he had taken too much. Perhaps he was on something completely set apart from his prescriptions and it had made him even more eccentric and menacing than usual. But there was no point in thinking about that, in fact Chantelle didn't want to know, she just wanted to be away from him as soon as possible.

Choosing not to respond, or possibly not even hearing her at all, Gary simply moved a step closer to her. Instinctively Chantelle tried to take a step back, twisting her head to the side and away from him and looking at the fence instead. Once again she slowly began to struggle and writhe against him as he removed his hands from her shoulders and planted them on her wrists instead. When his fingers touched her skin, she shuddered and tried to tear her wrists out of his grip but to no avail. Taking another step towards her now, he was only mere inches away from her and his eyes never left her face even though she had turned it away from him. Biting at his bottom lip, Gary was apparently lost in his thoughts, the internal debate clearly raging on as he tried to decide what to do with the girl in front of him.

The opportunity to corner her had been more than perfect because before the entire Preps vs. Greasers scenario unfolded he had heard about the junkyard plan from an obnoxiously loud Norton. Johnny hadn't been extremely happy with Jimmy, not when he was treating him and Chantelle so badly…And of course Jimmy was still seeing Lola and not caring to be quiet about it either. Regardless of how Johnny felt about Chantelle he was still hung up on Lola and _that_ was more than evident…

He also knew that Chantelle would undoubtedly go ask Jimmy for help, knowing she wouldn't have been capable of breaking him out herself and also not being able to go to the Greasers for help because numerous questions would have been raised, and she would have been solely to blame. It was the one thing Chantelle couldn't quite do, outwardly take the blame.

Pathetic.

But everything had pieced itself together. Gary had waited by the old rail-tracks whilst the Greasers and Preps were at it inside the skate-park. He had waited for Johnny, Ricky and Jimmy to make their appearance and then still continued to wait patiently until the opportune moment. When some of the Preps had begun to retreat, he had come out of his hiding place and pummelled Tad Smith, stealing his bike and laughing heartily about it, just as Johnny and Jimmy exited the skate-park and witnessed the entire thing.

And so the chase had begun.

He hadn't even seen Chantelle or her interfering, irritating friend Christy but the fact that they had almost been hit with a firecracker gave Johnny Vincent the perfect head start, and allowed the Greasers to complete their plan successfully. He himself had entered the junkyard far ahead of Vincent and had escaped the area before he arrived, which led to Johnny taking his frustrations out on Jimmy instead. He loved it when a plan was executed so perfectly, so precisely…

However, his usually brilliant and sharp mind had started to cloud over and ideas and concepts became obscure. He began to tremble a little, his attention constantly begin caught by something tiny and insignificant and now he was stood in front of Chantelle wondering whether to hurt her or to let her go, to give her some strange speech about how he was the mastermind behind the whole scenario in the junkyard or proceed to stand and gaze at her and feed of the intimidation on her face, and the anxiety in her eyes.

It was the pills. It had to be the pills. They were blurring his mind and making him lose his focus, altering his perceptions. They had to be thrown away; to be gone permanently. They were no longer keeping him calm or sharpening his senses, having handfuls at a time seemed to work temporarily but now?

Shaking his head in hopes of knocking some clarity into his veiled mind, Gary felt Chantelle start to writhe again and a feeling of animalistic lust and wanting overcame him.

His head moved closer to hers, and Chantelle could feel his breath on her cheek but still she fought against him, fought against his desire and his envy.

"Stop," Chantelle uttered, feeling the cold metal firmly against her cheek and knowing she was incapable of turning away anymore. "I'm not yours!"

"You think your Johnny's girl?" Gary finally hissed, feeling an explosion of sadistic pleasure as she cringed away from his voice, "You think Johnny could ever be faithful to you? Faithful to a pathetic little girl like you? He had his hands and lips all over that slut Lola just yesterday after you left in a hurry, you wouldn't give him any so he went crawling back to her and she accepted him without question."

Turning back round to face him with a vicious glare she tried to see the evidence of a lie in his eyes or on his face and saw there was none, only cold derision. He was ridiculing her, making her feel small and insignificant, wanting to hurt her in ways he only seemed capable of doing so.

"You're lying," Chantelle spat venomously, outright refusing to believe his words and just shrugging them off as slander. "You just can't tolerate someone being fucking happy! Least of all with me..."

Gary chortled and shook his head, hardly believing how foolish she could be; how simply _naïve_ she could be. Letting go of her, Gary stepped back and began to route through his jacket pocket allowing Chantelle the capability to fully leave the situation behind and flee but her curiosity once again got the better of her, and so she waited anxiously instead.

Extracting a cell phone, Gary pressed a few buttons before thrusting it in Chantelle's face, "There see, there's the fucking evidence."

Tilting her head slightly, the screen displayed a picture of two people in a very compromising position. With their arms around one another and undoubtedly their tongues rammed down one another's throats, it was unmistakably Lola and Johnny, evident by the way they were dressed. Chantelle continued to glower at the picture, her mind seeing nothing but red. Gary waited patiently for the fallout, for the girl to lose her temper, to become enraged. He loved to see her when she was irate, he even loved it when she chose to slap or punch him. It was the knowledge that he had caused her to do such actions, to behave in such a raw and powerful way…

"This could have been taken at any time," Chantelle started slowly, attempting to keep her temper under control. How idiotic could she have been to have trusted the idea that Johnny Vincent would remain faithful to only her? They weren't even officially together! Yes she had really liked Johnny, and she thought that perhaps something might come of it but obviously Lola was still fully in the picture and she wasn't going to be second best to that slut.

"Then check the damn date Chantelle, I'm sure you know how to use a fucking cell." Gary retorted harshly, his own anger spiking a little at her inanity. "Just face it Chantelle, Johnny is far from decent and he doesn't deserve you unless of course you're as dumb as they say."

Once more, Chantelle believed that Gary was trying to diminish her self-confidence; to belittle her and make her feel worthless and the worst part was that it was beginning to work. Thrusting the cell-phone roughly into Gary's hands, she turned back to the gate fully intent on returning to her earlier task of breaking up a fight but yet again Gary took hold of her, this time by her forearm.

"What now? You've had your fucking fun Gary, surely there's nothing else you can use to humiliate me and embarrass me anymore?" Chantelle exclaimed, noting the sneer on his face which only incensed her more. "Stop it Gary!"

Gary continued to sneer at her, with laughter slowly beginning to escape from behind his lips. This was too much for Chantelle as she snatched her arm from between Gary's fingers and attempted to slap the smile off his face.

Instead, Gary lunged in and pressed his warm lips against her cool neck. His hand snaked their way to Chantelle's wrists instantly whilst he had caught her off guard. His lips kissed along Chantelle's collarbone, making her shiver against him, spurring him on even further as the kisses turned to lustful bites.

"No…No stop!" Chantelle demanded, fighting against the inevitable and doing the only thing she really could do and inclining her head towards her shoulder to limit his movement.

The desire he felt towards Chantelle would not permit him to stop now and he let go of her left wrist only to take hold of her jaw and tilt her head back the other way, holding it there and allowing his teeth to bite into her neck with intensified yearning. The remaining hand holding lifted her wrist up and pinned it at the side of her head. The unrestrained hand of Chantelle's began to push hopelessly against Gary's chest.

"Just give in," Gary murmured as he moved towards her ear, his breath getting heavier as he got more passionate. "You don't owe Johnny anything; you don't owe Jimmy anything…Just give in,"

Chantelle's hand dropped to her side at his words, realising just how irate she really was at Johnny and wanting to get back at him for betraying her trust.

Gary finally made his way up the front of her neck and fixed his lips against hers. Chantelle's eyes widened, as her mind went into overdrive and an array of thoughts and feelings began to sprint through it.

Yes Gary was irrational, psychotic and probably a bit sadistic too but for some reason she had never been able to fully resist him. There was always some sort of attraction there, even when she was screaming and yelling at him to leave her alone, purely because he was so fascinating and Chantelle's curiosity always seemed to get the best of her. He engrossed her in ways she would never be able to fully explain, his personality and his actions were so illogical and irregular that she could never guess what was coming next. He was spontaneous, eccentric and erratic…So much different to the others; to Jimmy, to Parker and to Johnny. Gary didn't follow any rules, he didn't need the school to like him and he didn't need any people or any cliques to follow him.

In fact, it seemed like he was part of the reason they all seemed to continue their incessant fighting, and the reason why Jimmy always made new enemies day in and day out. But no-one seemed to realise that he was behind the entire thing, stirring up the trouble and causing the constant stream of hate and jealousy; well nobody but herself, Jimmy and Petey. They knew the truth about Gary's strange, manipulative and controlling behaviour but he was just so discrete, so sly and so god damn intellectual…

The passionate kiss was broken as Gary suddenly drew away from Chantelle, leaving her slightly breathless and yet almost craving for more. Their eyes met briefly before Chantelle closed the gap between them herself and resumed the kiss, her hands entwining themselves in his hair before bunching up and pulling. Gary moaned and put a hand on her lower back, forcing her closer towards him so there bodies were perfectly aligned together.

His mind was completely consumed with hunger, with greed of having Chantelle all to himself and knowing that he had screwed up Johnny's chances of having the girl himself. He was also positive that if he hadn't chosen to demean her the way he had, she would have put up a fiercer fight. Yet now she was here, roughly biting at his lip and forcefully dragging his hair back to get at his neck making him moan even more. His nails scraped at her lower back as she bit down harder, before moving up to her hair and then to her neck and driving her backwards against the cold, rusted steel. Chantelle gasped at the raw strength that Gary was exhibiting as he took control and began to dominate so easily once again.

"_I told you! I was the daddy, got it? I'm in charge, you do what I say!"_

"_Alright…Alright I give up! You can have her, you can have them both!"_

"_What are you talking about Johnny?"_

"_Lola, Chantelle, whoever you want. You win, they're yours!"_

Hearing the heated conversation between Johnny and Jimmy caused Chantelle to regain some of her normal mentality and she pulled away from Gary, shrugging his hands off her like they were nothing, like they hadn't just been entwined together in a moment of heated passion.

Chantelle headed towards the small crack in the gate and peered through it, seeing Johnny seated in the mud and rubbing his chin whilst Jimmy stood over him quite obviously being the victor of the encounter.

"_This wasn't about them but I think I could kick you're fucking ass all over again for even mentioning Chantelle in that way. As for Lola you can keep that slut for yourself."_

"_What? You don't want her? I...Then why did you do this? Why'd you fight? Was it just to prove you're tougher than me?"_

"_That's right, and don't you or your boys forget that. I'm tougher than you and you'll do what I say and stop beating people up. You work for me now."_

"_Man…"_

"_And you know what else? You're gonna stay the hell away from Chantelle too, you hear me? You don't fucking talk about her like she's a piece of meat and you don't fucking cheat on her with that bitch Lola either. Stay away or I'll beat you to a pulp all over again greaseball."_

"_Wait…Wait I didn't…That was a mistake!"_

"_Shut the hell up Johnny I don't wanna hear it."_

Not really knowing what to do with such information, what with Jimmy being so highly defensive over someone he had claimed to no longer think of as a friend, and with Johnny quite evidently regretting his decision to rendezvous with Lola last night, she turned away from the gates and tried to decide whether staying there and waiting for Jimmy to appear would be a good idea, or whether making a quick getaway was the better option.

However she was completely put off by what she saw next, or to put it more fittingly, a lack of what she saw.

Gary Smith had gone.

Completely disappeared.

Vanished into thin air.

Frowning but not really having the time to contemplate what just happened, Chantelle chose to make a quick exit and pronto. Taking Jimmy's bike from the front of the gates she wasted little time in mounting it and pedalling as quickly as she could, even though she would have a decent head-start as Petey Kowalski had known all about the Greasers plan and had been at the junkyard for several hours before the events had unfolded. He had aided Jimmy in unseating the Greaser and disarming him at the same time which had helped win the bout.

But still, she pedalled like a maniac and did not stop for anyone or anything.


	39. Tactics (Part One)

**Author's Notes**: _I just want to thank everyone for the support (follows, favourites, reviews, etc) I have for this story! I know I have been writing it since 2007, and that I can go on long hiatus' but you've all stuck by it and I'm so extremely grateful for it! You have my full gratitude, thank you! Here's a quick filler chapter to break up some of the action since it can't be all Gary/Chantelle/Jimmy all the time. Plus I feel I've been neglecting the friendship between Petey/Chantelle and Christy/Chantelle so here's a bit of character development for you. _

_Please enjoy the chapter, review as usual, vote in the polls, message me if you want to see anything particular in the story or let me know in the review if you do and I'll see what I can do. I have an idea for my next chapter which leads on from this chapter (so it may be called Tactics Part Two xD) but I wanted to update quickly for you guys. Let me know what you think!_

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**Chapter 39 – Tactics**

"Chantelle?"

Still feeling slightly dazed and confounded, Chantelle carelessly dropped the bicycle to the ground and turned on her heel to find out who was hollering her now. She would have enjoyed nothing more to just hide out in her room for a few hours to try and recollect her thoughts, to try and piece together the events that had just transpired; how Jimmy had beaten Johnny Vincent up because he had chosen to go back to Lola and blatantly cheat on Chantelle, how even though he had claimed they were no longer friends, he was still looking out for and still protecting her. How Gary Smith had appeared at her side and restrained her from breaking up the fight almost as though he knew…Had he known? Had it been pure jealousy that had allowed Gary to manipulate Johnny into ending up in Happy Volts or had it been the rage and the anger at how he was treating Chantelle after getting intimate with Lola? Why had Gary Smith gone from angry to intimate within a few seconds? Why had he gotten intimate at all?

Well the only people who had the answers to those particular questions were the individuals themselves and she doubted whether she would get straight answers from either of them…Nor would she find herself ever asking them. Well she wouldn't ask Jimmy but when it came to Gary Smith, she found that she no longer seemed to have restraint and should she bump into him again it would undoubtedly slip from her tongue in some kind of fashion.

"Chantelle we need to talk,"

Chantelle blinked stupidly against the weakening glare of the sunlight, the voice at least clearing some of the hundreds of thoughts from her aching mind, enough for her to at least clarify who was stood directly in front of her wearing an unsmiling, stern expression. She doubted whether she could make an excuse or justification to get herself out of this one, it had been a long time coming after all.

"I know…" Chantelle said quietly, putting a hand up to her temple which was aching dully and massaging it gently.

"Yes…Good…" Christy started, looking slightly taken-aback by the sudden agreement rather than the avoidance for a change. "Then can we go? You know, to our room for a bit of privacy?"

"Lead the way."

And so Christy did, striding towards the Girl's Dormitory with Chantelle shuffling along behind her trying to figure out what she could possibly say to excuse her erratic behaviour and her strange disappearances without bringing Gary Smith up whatsoever…Which was proving to be more difficult than she first imagined. Who else could she bring into this? Someone Christy didn't usually talk to? Someone Christy _wouldn't _talk to?

Before she knew it, she was sitting on the end of her bed with Christy standing in front of her, the door was firmly closed and there was absolutely no excuses or escape available to her. She refrained from sighing, knowing that in doing so she would only piss Christy off even further.

"So, are you going to tell me what's been going on? Why you have been acting so weird lately? Why does Gary Smith seems to be involved in literally everything you do?"

"One question at a time would be a little better Christy," Chantelle started, but trailed off at the deadly look Christy shot her way. So sarcasm or joking around would be completely out of the question here then, at least her brain hadn't completely turned to mush after the mention of Gary Smith, but it appeared Christy knew a bit more than she had first let on and he would likely end up being a focal point of the conversation.

"Okay okay…" Chantelle muttered before finally exhaling heavily, "I've had a lot to deal with these past few weeks, what with being in something that sort of resembled a relationship with Johnny Vincent, him going missing and ending up in the bloody Asylum…Then there's me trying to deal with Jimmy and avoiding Lola at most times so I don't get ambushed by the bitch again should she lose her temper. Oh and finding out that Johnny went back to Lola literally the same hour that I left the Tenements after spending the evening with him…"

Christy opened her mouth and closed it continuously before finding a spot in which she could interject, "Wait…Wait what? He went back to Lola? Are you freakin' serious?"

Glad that for now the subject had been steered away from the apparent stalking sociopath, Chantelle simply shrugged her shoulders, "What did I expect? Him and Lola have been together for ages, I shouldn't have thought that I could change that considering the fact that I rejected his advances." Chantelle mumbled, feeling a double vibration within her jacket pocket. She eyed Christy but she appeared not have noticed and had launched into a tirade instead.

"Only 'cause you weren't ready for that sort of…commitment!" Christy responded in outrage, shaking her head. "That is ridiculous, you are far better and far prettier than fucking Lola Lombardi and there is no way you would ever go out and cheat on him for gifts and money! What an absolute jerk. How did you even find out? Did you see him?"

"Not with Lola no…But you know when I disappeared earlier with Jimmy on the bike? Well the majority of the Greasers, Johnny and Jimmy ended up in the junkyard, whereas I fell off just before the jump and ended up locked out but I could hear everything that was going on. It was evident that they were having a fight, and I tried to get through the gates but they were chained shut and I was a bit concerned that if they heard me I'd probably get caught in the crossfire somehow before they realised who I was…Anyway, after the fight, after Jimmy had won and took out Johnny they started talking and Jimmy basically shouted it to the high heavens that he should leave me well alone after going back to Lola."

"_Jimmy _knew?"

"Apparently so, and I don't know how either I don't plan on bringing it up with Jimmy."

"So Jimmy knew, and told him to leave you alone…So even though you're supposedly not friends, he comes straight to your aid to rescue Johnny Vincent from the Asylum, protects you from a bunch of firecrackers, allows you to sit on the back of his bike when he's in the process of following Gary and Johnny and then defends you against Johnny without you being in their presence or knowing you were around?" Christy inquired, with a reasonable amount of surprise. "So regardless, he's still looking out for you…That is so cute."

Chantelle's eyebrows knitted together in a frown at the word and she shook her head, "I don't think cute is what we are aiming at here. It's evident that Jimmy has very strong feelings for me and I'm not disputing that, but the fact of the matter is I just don't feel the same. And that's where all the problems come from. Anytime I'm with some other guy he just gets so overly jealous and overprotective and it's just so suffocating and when Johnny kissed me, he just saw red and started towards him even though he was in the company of Lola. I mean, what am I supposed to do with someone like that Christy?"

Crossing the room, Christy seated herself by the side of her best friend and continued her silence for a few more seconds, evidently thinking of some morsel of advice that may be useful or advantageous. Of course she had been at the hands of jealous people before, but they had actually been her _boyfriends_. She had never had a close friend that acted like Jimmy did around Chantelle, and even though she saw it as cute, she could also see it being a huge drawback when putting herself in Chantelle's shoes.

"You've told him how you feel haven't you?" Christy questioned, raising her eyebrows. "I mean you've let him know that you feel suffocated, that you feel like he's being too protective, that you don't feel the same way?"

"Generally speaking, yes."

Christy sighed and ran a hand distractedly through her hair, "Well he sort of needs to get over it then doesn't he. He can't have you so he believes that no-one else can and that's just a bit…Weird. You need to let him know that as far as your concerned, you have no further feelings for him other than friendship and he needs to realise you're free to do as you please, and to be with whoever you please…Well within question." Christy raised an eyebrow as she glanced back at her friend.

Looking a little startled at the brutality of her words, Chantelle once again shook her head, "I can't be that harsh Christy, not to Jimmy anyway. He's been there for me through thick and thin, just like you have and I've already messed things up before by being with Johnny, I don't plan to make him hate me by completely crushing him." It appeared that she had completely dismissed Christy's last little statement, but it was now nagging slightly at the back of the blonde's mind.

"Well I…I didn't expect you to be _that_ brutal about it. I just mean you need to let him know; obviously you need to be a bit more delicate about it all."

"I was planning on doing that anyway, but that would technically be the second time I've just outwardly rejected him. I don't know, maybe he just needs a better distraction…One that isn't Lola fucking Lombardi.

"Well I don't really like that jumped up slut either, but if it puts the attention off you isn't that a good thing? And you did say earlier that Johnny and Lola…Y'know…After you'd left the tenements." Christy looked nervously at her friend as she touched upon this particular subject once again, knowing that it was still a raw topic. It had been evident that Chantelle had become quite smitten with Johnny Vincent after all.

"That's true…" Chantelle started, her mind buzzing again with a mix of thoughts and feelings. Hearing the confession about Johnny's little meeting with Lola just a few minutes or so after she had left made her feel irate and nauseous but she didn't want to show that she was hurt, not when they hadn't even become an official couple, nor had she been with him all that long. "You know what? I don't even care anymore. I don't even want to be with anyone else, think about it; There was Parker which ended up being a ploy so that Derby could kidnap me only for him to say he actually did care about me and that he was sorry for the way things went…And then obviously Jimmy went into jealousy mode and hated me for a plot that Gary Smith just randomly cooked up and now Johnny who decided that he wasn't over Lola at all, or whatever."

Christy gave Chantelle a sympathetic, pitiful look as she rolled of the names and knowing that she didn't deserve the way she had been treated, and she definitely hadn't deserved getting attacked by Lola Lombardi because of how close she and Johnny were getting. She was getting thrust into the middle of everything because of Jimmy Hopkins, and it was completely unfair; all of this would have been different had they not chose to get involved with him at all. But alas, that was not the case.

"You know, it might just be easier to not get involved with him at all again Chantelle." Christy started seriously, glancing down at her hands which were intertwining in her lap. "I mean, think about it. Everything that has happened to you, everything that has gone wrong like the Prep kidnap and all of Gary's plans and Johnny…It's all revolved around Jimmy and your involvement with him. Everyone is aware of his feelings for you, and they use you because that's the one way they know will hurt or affect him the most. Maybe it was a good idea that you two stopped talking…"

Frowning, Chantelle shook her head, "I couldn't just do that to someone Christy, that's even worse than telling him to back the hell off and let me flirt or date whoever the hell I want. Even if this is all down to my friendship with Jimmy, I'm not going to turn my back on him. He's always been right there to protect me, and help me so I guess things are just going to have to keep happening until he finally gets control over the school. I know _that_ is something he never intentionally wanted but because of Smith, it's something he's going to end up having."

As soon as Gary Smith was mentioned again into the conversation by Chantelle, it seemed to be the one cue that Christy had been waiting for. Regardless of the rest of the content of the conversation, she only had her mind set on the crazy sociopath, and it was time for some home truths.

"And what has Gary been up to Chantelle? Bar the whole Johnny scenario of course…He seems to be playing a big role in all your hard luck."

"Because he's behind everything," Chantelle muttered, knowing exactly what Christy was trying to aim for, hiding the fact that she knew a lot more than Chantelle first believed. Had Christy seen her and Gary together? Or had she caught sight of her once Gary had moved back into the shadows again and just assumed she knew what had happened?

The conversation was beginning to drive into rough territory.

"He wants to make Jimmy's life hell, ever since he set him up against Russell at the beginning of the year. I couldn't tell you why, and neither could Petey or Jimmy himself. He's just a crazed lunatic that believes bringing Jimmy down and making him the most hated boy in school will somehow make him the king of Bullworth Academy."

Instead of staring at her hands, which Christy had been doing for the majority of the conversation, the red-head was now staring intensely at her friend, barely even blinking as it were. It was like she was searching for any kind of hint that her best friend was lying and so Chantelle tried to keep a neutral and placid look on her face.

"He's good at picking the weaknesses of people that's all," Chantelle continued, shaking her head. "Knowing that Jimmy likes me, knowing that Petey has always wanted friends and then trying to destroy the weak bonds he had with people, knowing that Russell is as dumb as a door-post and tricking him into the fight, knowing that the Preps and the Greasers hate each other and stirring up the feud…The list goes on."

"To say I've been to school with him for the past year or so I haven't seen him act this way at all. He was always the one sat at back of the class with his head down; he would rarely do any work, just sit there in silence doodling or writing things. Nobody really spoke to him except Pete since they had to share their dorm room together. Then suddenly you and Jimmy get here a little later than the rest of the school and he just goes absolutely mental, trying to make Jimmy's life hell and getting you involved into every one of his plans in some way or another…It's just…Bizarre that's all."

"Well he had to take medication did he not? Maybe he slipped up and forgot to take it, realised how different it was when he did so and just stopped taking it altogether? You never know, and you never will know. None of us will. There's absolutely no point sitting here discussing and speculating over Gary Smith when he's unpredictable and crazy as sin!"

"I guess you're right," Christy said slowly, still eyeing her friend with suspicion. Even though the discussion over Gary was over, she still felt there was more to it than what she was letting on and she wouldn't stop until she had all the answers…She just needed a new tactic that was all.

"So how did Johnny end up in the Asylum in the first place?" Christy continued quickly, and Chantelle shrugged solemnly.

"I have my suspicions…"

* * *

About an hour later, the serious conversation between Christy and Chantelle finally came to an end. Christy had slipped off into a light doze and whilst Chantelle had felt a little sleepy at the beginning of the conversation, she now felt the complete opposite and was wide-eyed and alert. Quietly sneaking out the room, she left the Girl's Dormitory and finally put her hand inside the pocket of her jacket and withdrew her phone to check the message that she had received during the conversation with Christy.

_Chantelle, I need you to meet me under the bridge near the dam in town as soon as possible. It's important._

_G._

Reading the message at least four times and memorising it word for word, she deleted it and put her cell back inside her pocket. Chantelle stood outside the front of the Girl's Dormitory in complete silence for another few minutes, trying to decide whether or not she should go, or whether she should try and find Jimmy, or just get out of the campus and go for a walk and avoid anyone and everyone that she could. Biting her lip, she began to let her legs do the walking, not really making a decision about anything.

But as she came to the junction and began to turn left to exit the wrought iron gates of Bullworth Academy, she heard a timid, concerned voice from the side of her.

"You're not going to go are you?"

Glancing up, Chantelle's eyes landed quizzically upon Peter Kowalski, who was staring back with serious concern.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"The message, about meeting underneath the bridge…Tell me you aren't going to go?"

Grimacing, Chantelle found her mind completely blank as she was rendered temporarily speechless…Temporarily being the key word as thoughts began to whirl around inside her head. How did he know about it? Does he know who sent it? Well she had a feeling herself…What could she say? What _should _she say? Should she lie?

"How…How did you know about that?" Chantelle finally responded, noticing how Petey was analytically studying every inch of her face for a sign of emotion. It made her feel quite uncomfortable, unnerved even.

"I saw it, I saw the message and I saw the cell and I know who it belongs to and I'm saying you shouldn't go." Pete said quietly, now averting his gaze and staring down at his feet as he kicked impatiently at the ground.

"I think I need a bit more of an explanation Pete, if you'd be so kind?" She tried her hardest not to be rude or impolite, but obviously her attempt failed miserably. Pete now wore a rather hurt expression, and the ferocity and forcefulness that he had entered the conversation with was dissipating at a very swift rate.

"Sorry, I just…If you know what's going on I'd prefer to know. I'm getting sick of all these games and cryptic texts and clues y'know?"

"I think you already know who it is Chantelle." Petey said suddenly, almost cutting straight across her in a voice so accusatory that it shocked Chantelle into silence again. It was incredibly unlike Petey to be judgemental or critical since he was subjected to it pretty much day in and day out, but here he was, accusing and alleging.

"Gary Smith…Right?" Chantelle responded dully, now finding that things had turned its tables on her and she was finding it difficult to look him in the eye.

"So if you knew, why were you still going to see him? Why would you go out of your way to meet with him after everything he has done? To Jimmy, to Johnny, to Christy and to me?"

"How did you know it was him?" Chantelle retorted hastily, overriding Petey's question without a second thought. Pete saw the immediate change in the conversation and did not care for it at all; avoiding such an important question was the sign of someone guilty.

"I saw him leave the Boy's Dormitory, and that itself is pretty odd since he's never around there anymore…Not really. I waited until he was gone, 'til he had left campus and then I went back into our room to see if I could see what he had been up to. He'd left the cell on his bed, not really sure why he hadn't just put it back into his beside drawer or whatever…Maybe he's just forgetting his meds again and it's making him go a bit loopy. But it was there, so I grabbed it and had a look through. The only thing on there was a message to you, Chantelle."

Biting his lip, Petey waited for Chantelle to respond but when she didn't, he continued with his warnings once again.

"Don't go Chantelle; it won't be about anything useful or important. He'll just want to use you or manipulate you or something just like he does with everyone else. I'm just trying to help you out here, nothing good will come of you going to see Gary!"

"I'm sorry Petey, but this could be about Jimmy, or Johnny…Or even you. I have to see what he wants," Chantelle muttered, before walking straight past him without another word or another glance. No other explanation, no other reasoning, nothing.

Pete opened his mouth to protest, to object even further but he found that there was absolutely no point. Chantelle had made up her mind to go and meet Gary, and even though he had a strong belief that all Gary was going to do was manipulate and use Chantelle in some way he would still be there to support and help Chantelle, and not be the whole 'I told you so' kind of person.

So instead, he closed his mouth and watched as Chantelle hurried away.


	40. Tactics (Part Two)

**_Author's Notes;_**_ Thanks for everyone who has stuck with this story, who has reviewed and favourited it and still read it! I've been going for six years now, which is a massive record for me. I'm sorry for the delay, I've had this chapter half-written for a couple months but University came first. I've finished now so maybe I'll have the creativity to get a few more chapters up in a shorter space of time. As always, your words, criticism and ideas are welcomed and much needed. Read & Review please! And keep an eye on my author page, I will possibly be posting a new poll soon_

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**Chapter 40 - Tactics (Part Two)**

Once Chantelle had exited the gates and began the seemingly long journey to the bridge near the Bullworth Dam, she found that her exhausted brain had surged into action once more and the dull, thudding headache that had come to a halt after she had left Christy and her tirade of questions had unfortunately come back with it. Putting her fingers to her left temple, she began to massage it gently and she kept her head lowered as walked into the Vale.

Barely focusing on where she was going, she collided headfirst into something solid. Luckily she had been moving at a very slow pace and the impact had been light considering, but her head gave a nasty throb as she stepped back to walk around the object.

"Oh, hey Chantelle,"

Glancing up, Chantelle's heart seemed to beat a little faster and a few seconds passed before she could find her voice.

"Parker…" Chantelle breathed, aiming to put a hefty bit of space between the Prep and herself as she took another step backwards. Even though they had chosen to leave each other alone, Parker had never really gotten over the fact that he had ruined his friendship and a chance of anything else with Chantelle, all because of Derby Harrington who had never shown an ounce of repentance for his actions. Nonetheless, this had been their first proper encounter since they cut their friendship short and it was certainly just as awkward as before.

"Sorry I didn't mean to…I mean I wasn't really looking where I was going. Totally my fault,"

"Well that makes two of us then," Parker responded with a hearty laugh that didn't really reach his eyes which appeared to express anxiety, or perhaps it was desperation. "Chantelle…"

Her eyes moved up to meet his fully for the first time after simply glancing at him or otherwise staring at the floor as though it was of great interest, and the desperation she saw induced a feeling of sympathy and pity. It was evident that Parker desired to talk to her, to strike up some amazing conversation that would leave her laughing or giggling or even remembering what they very briefly had before the kidnapping plot went ahead.

"I should get going...I have somewhere to be,"

"Please," Parker added hastily, stepping towards her as though expecting her to turn around and just sprint away. "Please just wait a moment," He thought fleetingly about extending a hand, perhaps to grasp her hand or her shoulder, but he thought that it would just stimulate a panicked reaction and that was something he was trying to work against. Instead, he held his arms firmly at his sides as he took another small step towards her. She wasn't edging away from him anymore, at least that was something.

"I just…I'm so sorry for my role in the kidnapping Chantelle. I wish I didn't agree to Derby's plan, not after seeing how much of a caring, wonderful, beautiful woman you are. I should have protected you, damn right refused to use you. I made a mistake, a horrendously, gargantuan mistake and I wish that we could put it behind us, move away from it, be able to share a respectful friendship. It is all that ask for from you Chantelle; I miss the intelligent conversations we had, conversations that was not about money or about trust funds or Aquaberry…"

"I know you're sorry Parker, and I know that you took a stand by refusing to be a part of anymore of Derby Harrington's schemes but you participated in a pretty serious one, you were part of kidnapping and you were practically holding me hostage until Jimmy came to get me. That's a damn big deal, Parker."

Again, her firm resolve was beginning to waver due to the expression of pure despair and hopelessness that was fixed on Parker's face.

"I understand, I do and I realise that nothing I say or do will ever change the fact that I was there, that I played such a role in hurting you. I can't even begin to fathom the damage I caused, mentally or physically…But please just give me another chance, a chance to prove that I am not Derby Harrington's slave, that I am my own person. In fact, how about we go and have some lunch together, let's talk about this over a cheeseburger and fries, or a smoothie or shake…Anything?"

With a long a prolonged sigh, Chantelle shook her head regretfully, "I can't today Parker…I have somewhere to be right now. Perhaps we could do it another time when I'm not so busy?"

A hopeful smile cracked the pitiful expression Parker had fixed seemingly permanently on his face and he took her hand in his in a brief moment of delight. She allowed it, but wondered whether it would be beneficial for either of them to get close again, especially when she still felt highly reluctant to forgive, let alone forget.

"Thank you Chantelle, thank you! Please, take as much time as you need…You still have my cell number right? Just…Just give me a text or something."

Nodding her head, Chantelle slipped her hand back out of Parker's grasp and bid him goodbye before leaving in a hurry before anything more could be said.

* * *

The journey did not take much longer after Chantelle's short-lived encounter with Parker, mainly because she had the sense that perhaps he would attempt to follow her and persuade her even further to take him up on his offer for lunch right now, rather than just waiting for her to contact him. Indeed, there were a couple of occasions where she looked over her shoulder to ensure that she was definitely not being followed. It would not do for anyone to eavesdrop or see her with Gary, not when she had no idea what he could possibly want, or possibly have to say this time round.

When she finally reached the bridge, Chantelle automatically moved into the shadows and waited to be approached rather than go looking for the sociopath herself. The seconds stretched by into minutes, and still she impatiently waited for his arrival.

"So then something _is _going on between you and Gary Smith."

Chantelle turned on her heel with her heart seemingly ready to leap right out of her chest as it began racing. The swish of red hair said it all, and Chantelle felt her cheeks burn hot as a scarlet flush began to creep up. So this entire thing had been a ploy set up by Christy? And Petey had been in on it too!?

Then again, Petey had also been trying to get her to refrain from going; perhaps because he felt guilty setting something so devious and deceptive or maybe he knew that it would create some serious tension between Christy and Chantelle. No; she couldn't be angry at Pete anyway, this was probably something he had been forced into, and his intention of saving her the embarrassment of meeting Christy had been true. Never mind, the deed had been done and Chantelle had fallen for the bait and now she would simply have to suffer the consequences…If only she had agreed to go for some lunch with Parker.

"Well are you going to finally tell me what the hell is going on? Or are you going to try and lie your way out of it?"

"I didn't lie to you Christy; everything I said earlier was the truth." Chantelle said quietly, folding her arms over her chest in a defensive motion. "Things are just a little more complicated than what I explained to you."

"Go ahead." Christy responded, obviously trying her hardest to keep the accusatory and irritated tone out of her voice but failing quite miserably. "I'm sure neither of us have anything else to do right now, considering I rescheduled a date with Davis and you cleared your own schedule to come meet Gary Smith…Come on, we have plenty of time and I want to know _everything_."

Biting her lip, Chantelle scanned the area briefly for somewhere she could sit down and just hide her head in her hands, somewhere she could avoid the constant critical glare of her best friend and be able to miss the expressions of disgust and repulsion too if she could.

Finally catching her gaze upon an uncomfortable but prominent boulder, she walked towards it and seated herself precariously on the edge. With a heavy sigh she began to wonder where she could possibly start, or how she could possibly explain all the goings on in the encounters between herself and Gary Smith...

"At the beginning of the year," Chantelle started, thinking it would be better just to go from the very top, "He seemed to have a bit of an interest in me, and well I guess he sort of intrigued me too. Some of the stuff he said, some of the stuff he did…He instigated the fight between Ricky and Trent you know, if you remember that. And he purposely got me into shit with the teachers and students if he could. Of course most of his focus was placed on Jimmy, what with his wild obsession of ruining his school life…But he also didn't like the fact that me and Jimmy hung out, that we were close especially considering I'd asked Jimmy a lot of questions regarding Gary. I guess that's another reason why he always seemed to know where I was, to know exactly how to get to me or what to say to get under my skin. It was sort of like payback."

Chantelle paused and fidgeted a little, but still continued to stare at the muddy floor rather than risk a glance at the fiery red-head. Again, with another sigh, she continued,

"There were several occasions where he cornered me, where he managed to get me on my own whilst you were doing things with Ricky or Davis, or when I was heading to the library or whatever…Well that's an understatement. As I said before, he always seemed to know where I was and always picked the opportune moments to confront me. It would always be the same sort of things, he would spout a load of bullshit to confuse and manipulate me, going from hot-headed to calm, to full blown angry again. He would threaten you, threaten Jimmy, Petey, Parker, Johnny…Everyone that I have some sort of bond with."

"For what?" Christy said quietly, breaking Chantelle's continuous rambling and somewhat startling her in the process. She lost track of her words and they both lapsed into silence, Christy waiting for a response, Chantelle trying to think of one.

"There never really was a reason." Chantelle mumbled, realising how strange that must sound, and to Christy, how much of a lie it must sound too. "I suppose the first couple of times it was because I kept interfering with whatever he was doing, I kept asking questions about him and I practically interrogated both Pete and Jimmy. He found out, just like he finds out everything else in this damn school and he didn't appreciate it at all."

"Why would you want to go around the school asking questions about _him_ anyway?" Christy interjected once again, looking slightly disbelieving.

"As I said before, he interested me. I was curious; I wanted to know what he had planned, what he was setting up. I guess I had every right to be too considering what he did to Jimmy when he trapped him in the hole with Russell in the basement." This time, Chantelle did look up at her best friend to see the sign of brief acceptance on her face. At least that was one reason for her inquisitiveness, but there was still plenty to explain, and plenty she would rather take to her grave.

"There was a brief time where I just stopped caring, I stopped trying to get in his business, I wanted to move on. I had to make sure you were okay, that you had me to fully support you, that I was always available for you to talk to if you needed me…But he never left me alone. He tracked me down in the library once and I remember distinctly throwing books actually, it's just a shame that they didn't hit him. I must have a poor aim when I'm pissed off."

Christy barely found this a time for humour, but she gave her friend a hesitant and forced smile nonetheless. Chantelle caught sight of this and felt her own smile fade away as quickly as it had come. In actual fact, Christy was reliving the moment where she had spilled everything to her best friend, when she had confided all her thoughts and fears, where she had become truly vulnerable and truly trusting of Chantelle Matthews. It had been difficult for her, especially when she had been so closed off to anyone and everyone for such a long time, but Chantelle had been there. Chantelle had always tried to be there.

"Anyway, things moved on as they seem to do. Jimmy won the fight against Russell and gained control over the Bullies but then started a feud with the Preps which by the way, started because Gary spewed some insults at the Tad Smith and the others and claimed they were from Jimmy's own mouth…Jimmy gained control over the lighthouse, Gary saw it as an opportunity to fuck things up and cause a riot shortly after I left. Yet again, he took advantage of the fact that I was alone and made me watch all of it unfold up on the hill."

"I knew I should have gone with you," Christy responded, as though that would change the entire course of their encounters. "I just knew it, it was wrong to have you leave on your own."

"Well, all that is over and done with now it doesn't really matter. Next of course was the whole Parker fiasco with the kidnapping and shit. Again, just because he couldn't keep his damn mouth shut he had to go and inform that the kidnapping was all _his _doing. He planned it all, from Parker sending me the note to the Preps ambushing me and dragging me to Harrington House and do you know what he said about it all?"

"Wouldn't have the slightest clue," Christy responded, raising her eyebrow curiously.

"He said he did it because Jimmy wouldn't have a clue where I was and I would believe that he no longer cared about me when he didn't come immediately to my rescue…"

"Are you kidding me!?"

"I wish I was. He claimed that if I didn't stop talking to Jimmy, things would get a lot worse. I guess in a way they did, but not really for me. Jimmy got into a huge fight with pretty much all of the Preps, Pete Kowalski started to avoid me because of the threats that Gary was directing his way, Lola Lombardi came into the picture and as a consequence so did the Greasers and of course…Johnny."

"So now we're up to date right?" Christy started, still not looking completely convinced. "That Gary formed the plan to get you down to the underpass and stuff? And that he also stuck Johnny into the Asylum because he saw you and him together?"

"Yeah, that is pretty much all I have right now." Chantelle shrugged her shoulders and got to her feet, stretching out her legs and pacing around for a few seconds to regain the feeling. She had purposely kept out all the intimate and passionate moments out of the conversation, and she would be damned if she would ever bring it up, especially to Christy. She knew how utterly revolted her best friend would be and she couldn't deal with that sort of judgement. She already felt guilty for all the meetings and rendezvous; she would feel damn right shameful if she found out anything else.

"Then he's jealous right? Just like Jimmy, except Jimmy doesn't set out plans to lock people up or kidnap people to get revenge or payback."

Chantelle shrugged her shoulders once more, "I couldn't tell you. He used to take medication for his ADD and stuff but as soon as he came off them he became really unpredictable and erratic, scary even. If jealousy is what he's feeling, then he has no idea how to handle it…In fact I don't think he has an idea of how to handle anything at all."

"So you're thinking that's why he's going crazy all the time? 'Cause he got rid of his medication? I just don't understand his obsession with you? I don't mean that offensively or anything…You get me right?"

An unexpected chuckle escaped past Chantelle's half-open mouth and she turned to face Christy with an amused expression, "Yeah I get it, but I couldn't tell you that either. I used to believe that it was just another way to get back at Jimmy, setting me up with Johnny only for him to lock Johnny up in the Asylum? What does it matter to Gary whether Johnny is absent or present?"

"Hmm," Christy murmured before sitting down on the boulder that Chantelle had just vacated. It was indeed all very confusing, and trying to decipher the thought processes of Gary Smith was pretty much impossible; but at least now she knew the full story. Or what she believed to be the full story. Surely there was no more to be said? That there was nothing else that she was hiding? "And that's it then? There's nothing else left to be said?" Christy continued, voicing what she was thinking and not holding back like she had done earlier. "You're not hiding anything?"

"That's all there is to be said regarding Gary Smith," Chantelle lied, looking directly into Christy's eyes as she did so. She felt remorseful for lying like this to her, nonetheless she knew she wouldn't be able to cope with the shame if she did tell the truth. This conversation had opened her eyes to the trouble and the suffering that Gary had caused, and once again she found herself vowing to stop going near him once more; to simply walk away when she encountered him, undoubtedly sooner rather than later.

"You know what you need to do though right?" Christy inquired, now getting to her own feet and looking just about ready to leave. "You know what to do if he approaches you again?"

"Walk away?"

"No, kick him right in his balls. That will make him leave you the hell alone the psychotic creep."

Chantelle let out a genuine laugh this time, something that sounded remarkably strange considering the serious conversation that had just occurred. Christy joined in soon after, and the two giggled hysterically for a few more minutes regardless of the fact that the statement hadn't even been all that funny. Chantelle assumed it was just because they were still _able _to laugh, even after the all the severe stuff was over, that they were still close, still best friends.

But still, the nagging feeling of guilt pulled in the back of her mind; the lie that she was concealing from Christy…She couldn't keep it hidden forever but for now at least everything seemed ok.


End file.
